Vehicles: violations: payment of fines and bail.

Existing law requires a county to establish an amnesty program for unpaid fines and bail initially due on or before January 1, 2013, for Vehicle Code infractions and certain misdemeanors to be conducted in accordance with guidelines adopted by the Judicial Council. Existing law requires the program to accept payments from October 1, 2015, to March 31, 2017, inclusive. Existing law requires the program to accept, in full satisfaction of any eligible fine or bail, 50% of the amount, or 20% of the amount if the program participant certifies under penalty of perjury that he or she receives one of specified public benefits or his or her monthly income is 125% or less of the current poverty guidelines. Existing law requires certain funds collected under the amnesty program to be transferred, in specified percentages, to the Peace Officers' Training Fund and the Corrections Training Fund, which are continuously appropriated funds. This bill would require each county to establish a similar amnesty program for acceptance of payments for the period of January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2024, inclusive. The bill would make a violation eligible if the initial due date for payment of the fine or bail was on or before March 31, 2017, among other specified conditions. The bill would require the Judicial Council to readopt the guidelines that were adopted for the above-described program no later than January 1, 2019, and to update or amend those guidelines as necessary at a later time, for purposes of the new amnesty program. The bill would require each court or county implementing an amnesty program to file, no later than March 1, 2025, a written report with the Judicial Council, as specified. The bill would require the Judicial Council, on or before June 30, 2025, to submit a report to the Legislature summarizing the information provided by each court or county. By requiring counties to establish an amnesty program, and by expanding the scope of the crime of perjury, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would also make an appropriation by increasing the amount of money that would be deposited into continuously appropriated funds as a result of establishing the program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.