Bill > HB2430

This bill increases the crime victim penalty assessment, which is a fee added to criminal penalties, from $500 to $1,000 for felony or gross misdemeanor convictions and from $250 to $500 for misdemeanor convictions, and allows courts to impose an additional surcharge on this assessment to fund victim support services and give defendants an opportunity to repair harm. The bill also clarifies that courts cannot waive the penalty assessment if a defendant has substantial financial resources, defining "substantial financial resources" as having a household income exceeding 200% of the area median income, and requires that the crime victim penalty assessment and its surcharge cannot be reduced, waived, or converted to community restitution hours except as specifically allowed. Additionally, the bill mandates that when a sentence is suspended, the payment of the crime victim penalty assessment and any surcharge must be required, and it makes several other amendments related to the imposition and collection of legal financial obligations, including the crime victim penalty assessment.

Budget and Finance, Housing and Urban Affairs

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2430&Year=2025&Initiative=false