State Seal2 copy            Bill Number: S.B. 1551

            Boyer Floor Amendment

            Reference to: printed bill

            Amendment drafted by: Zack Dean

 

 

FLOOR AMENDMENT EXPLANATION

 

1. Allows a judge to waive any civil penalty for specified traffic and vehicle violations if the penalty would be a hardship on the person guilty of the violation.

2. Allows a judge to mitigate a fine, regardless of whether the fine is mandatory.

3. Prohibits a judge from mitigating a fine imposed pursuant to a DUI offense.

4. Removes the ability of a court to order the suspension or restriction of a person's driving privilege for failure to pay a civil penalty, rather than prohibiting the Arizona Department of Transportation from suspending or restricting the person's license for failure to pay.

5. Specifies that the driving privilege of a commercial driver license holder may be restricted for a failure to pay, rather than suspended.

6. Requires any license suspension or restriction that was imposed for a failure to pay a civil traffic violation penalty before the effective date of this act to be rescinded.

7. Restores the Traffic Ticket Enforcement Assistance Program.

8. States that a person is responsible for a civil traffic violation if the person violates a license restriction imposed for a failure to pay or a failure to appear.

9. Allows a civil traffic violation resulting from a license restriction violation to be dismissed if a person demonstrates that their driving privilege has been reinstated.

10.  Reinserts language prohibiting a person from driving on a public highway if the person's driving privilege has been suspended for a failure to pay or a failure to appear.


 

Fifty-fifth Legislature                                                     Boyer

First Regular Session                                                   S.B. 1551

 

BOYER FLOOR AMENDMENT

SENATE AMENDMENTS TO S.B. 1551

(Reference to printed bill)

 


Page 1, between lines 1 and 2, insert:

"Section 1. Section 13-825, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE13-825. Mitigation of fines and surcharges

A. A judge may mitigate a fine that is not mandatory if the defendant who is ordered to pay the fine demonstrates that the payment would work a hardship on the defendant or on the defendant's immediate family, except that A judge may not mitigate a fine imposed pursuant to section 28-1381, 28-1382 or 28-1383.

B. In determining whether to mitigate a fine, the court may consider any relevant evidence, including:

1. The impact of the fine on the ability of the defendant to pay the restitution.

2. The extent of the financial hardship on the defendant or on the defendant's immediate family.

3. Whether the defendant is receiving benefits pursuant to any of the following:

(a) The temporary assistance for needy families program established by section 403 of title IV of the social security act.

(b) The supplemental nutrition assistance program (7 United States Code sections 2011 through 2036c).

(c) The supplemental security income program (42 United States Code sections 1381 through 1383f).

4. Whether the defendant is seeking, obtaining or maintaining employment if legally permitted to do so or is attending school.

5. A defendant's medical condition.

C. A judge may mitigate a surcharge that is imposed pursuant to sections 12-116.01 and 12-116.02 if the fine is mandatory." END_STATUTE

Renumber to conform

Page 1, line 10, strike ", or" insert "or"; after "payments" strike remainder of line

Line 11, strike "penalty"; strike "court does not waive the civil penalty and the"

Line 13, after "penalty" insert ", surcharge or assessment"; strike "and, if so, the court"

Line 14, strike the colon insert a period

Between lines 14 and 15, insert:

"B. If the person who owes the civil penalty, surcharge or assessment described in subsection A of this section holds a commercial driver license, the court shall either:"

Reletter to conform

Line 15, strike "shall"

Line 18, after the period strike remainder of line

Strike line 19

Line 20, strike "Except as provided in subsection B of this section, may"

Strike lines 24 through 27

Reletter to conform

Lines 28 and 31, strike "subsection subsections" insert "subsection"; strike "and B"

Line 33, strike ", or" insert a comma

Line 35, strike "or notify the department to refuse to renew a vehicle registration" insert "or notify the department to refuse to renew a vehicle registration"

Page 2, line 2, after "28-144" insert ", if applicable"

Strike lines 3 through 6, insert:

"4. The court has not notified either the responsible person or the department about the court's request to the department to refuse to renew the responsible person's vehicle registration pursuant to article 5 of this chapter."

Renumber to conform

Page 2, line 11, after "suspend" insert "or restrict"

Line 12, after "state" strike remainder of line

Strike line 13, insert "or from notifying the department to refuse to renew a vehicle registration,"

Line 35, after "order" strike remainder of line

Strike lines 36 through 38, insert "or request to suspend or restrict the person's driver license, permit or privilege to drive pursuant to subsection A of this section or refuse to renew the person's vehicle registration pursuant to article 5 of this chapter."

Line 40, after the comma strike remainder of line

Strike lines 41 through 44, insert "the department suspended or restricted a driving PRIVILEGE, OTHER than a commercial driver license, pursuant to this section, the department shall"

Page 3, line 1, strike "(b)"; after "suspension" insert "or restriction"

Line 2, after "suspension" insert "or restriction"

Strike lines 5 through 42, insert:

"Sec. 3. Section 28-1603, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE28-1603. Civil penalty mitigation or waiver

A. Notwithstanding any other law, a judge may mitigate or waive any civil penalty that is required under chapters 3, 5, 7 and 9 of this title if the person who is ordered to pay the penalty demonstrates that the payment would be a hardship on the person or on the person's immediate family.

B. In determining whether to mitigate a civil penalty, the court may consider any relevant information, including any of the following:

1. The civil penalty's impact on the person's ability to pay restitution.

2. Whether the civil penalty would constitute a financial hardship to the person or the person's immediate family.

3. Whether the person receives temporary assistance for needy families pursuant to 42 United States Code section 603 or supplemental nutrition assistance pursuant to 7 United States Code sections 2011 through 2036c.

4. Whether the person receives benefits pursuant to the supplemental security income program (42 United States Code sections 1381 through 1385 1383(f)).

5. Whether the person is legally authorized to be employed and is seeking, obtaining or maintaining employment or is attending school.

C. This section does not apply to the surcharge imposed and collected pursuant to section 16-954, subsection A. END_STATUTE

Sec. 4. Section 28-3480, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE28-3480. Operation in violation of restriction; classification; civil traffic violation

A. Except as provided in subsections B and C of this section, a person who operates a motor vehicle in violation of a driver license restriction is guilty of a class 2 misdemeanor.

B. If the restriction that is violated is the requirement to wear corrective lenses while operating a motor vehicle, the person is responsible for a civil traffic violation.

C. If the RESTRICTION that is violated is imposed pursuant to section 28-1601 or 28-3308, the person is responsible for a civil traffic violation.

D. if the person is cited for a violation of subsection C of this section and presents evidence to the court that the person's unrestricted driving privilege has been reinstated, the court may dismiss the citation."END_STATUTE

Renumber to conform

Page 4, line 3, strike "restricted" insert "suspended"

Line 6, strike "not only" insert "not"; strike "on a public highway"

Line 7, strike "for the purposes described in section 28-144" insert "on a public highway"

Line 8, strike "suspended restricted" insert "suspended"

Line 10, strike "Notwithstanding section 28-3480,"

Line 16, strike "suspended restricted" insert "suspended"

Strike lines 17 through 45

Strike pages 5 through 8

Amend title to conform


 

 

PAUL BOYER

 

1551FloorBOYER

02/19/2021

08:44 AM

C: MU

 

1551FloorBOYER

02/22/2021

01:11 PM

S: ZD/gs