Governor Inslee Signs Bill to Promote Financial Fairness in Criminal Justice System

House Bill 1412 Gives Judges Discretion to Forgive Justice System Debt for People Unable to Pay

Justice Action Network’s Noah Bein: “While there is more work to be done on this important issue next year, this bill is a step in the right direction to strengthen Washington families, remove barriers for people involved with the justice system, and keep the public safe.”

Olympia—Last night, Governor Jay Inslee signed a critical data-driven bill that will enhance fairness in Washington’s criminal justice system. House Bill 1412 authorizes the courts to curb unnecessary financial obligations for people who are unable to pay. The bill was supported by a broad coalition in both chambers, with a vote of 70-24 in the House and 38-11 in the Senate. 

“While there is more work to be done on this important issue next year, this bill is a step in the right direction to strengthen Washington families, remove barriers for people involved with the justice system, and keep the public safe,” said Noah Bein, state policy manager at the Justice Action Network, the country’s largest bipartisan organization working to advance criminal justice reform at the state and federal levels. “We’d like to thank the bill’s sponsors and Governor Inslee for his administration’s continued efforts to bring about smart, data-driven improvements to Washington’s criminal justice system.” 

House Bill 1412 was sponsored by Representatives Tarra Simmons, Roger Goodman, Lauren Davis, Javier Valdez, Liz Berry, Jamila Taylor, Joe Fitzgibbon, Strom Peterson, Timm Ormsby, Kirsten Harris-Talley, Gerry Pollet, and Nicole Macri. 

Earlier this month, Governor Inslee also signed into law two more vital, data-driven criminal justice reforms: House Bill 2050 and House Bill 1874

House Bill 2050 ends the practice of charging families for their child’s involvement in the juvenile justice system. That legislation received overwhelming support in both chambers, with a vote of 85-13 in the House and 41-6 in the Senate. Legislators in the House who championed this issue as co-sponsors on HB 2050 and a similar bill, House Bill 1897, include Representatives Kirsten Harris-Talley, Roger Goodman, Tana Senn, Sharon Tomiko Santos, Timm Ormsby, Javier Valdez, Nicole Macri, Noel Frame, Cindy Ryu, Joe Fitzgibbon, Steve Bergquist, Alex Ramel, Strom Peterson, Tarra Simmons, Gerry Pollet, Emily Wicks, Melanie Morgan, Tarra Simmons, Laurie Dolan, Sharon Shewmake, Amy Walen, Alex Ramel, Shelley Kloba, Jamila Taylor, Marcus Riccelli, Jake Fey, Lauren Davis, and Jessica Bateman.

In the Senate, a companion bill, Senate Bill 5535, was championed by Senators Claire Wilson, Mona Das, Manka Dhingra, Bob Hasegawa, Joe Nguyen, Liz Lovelett, T'wina Nobles, June Robinson, and Rebecca Saldaña.

House Bill 1874 allows people with criminal histories to determine, in advance of training or education investment, whether they are disqualified from certain occupational licenses. HB 1874 passed in the Senate with a unanimous vote, and in the House with a vote of 96-1. That bill was sponsored by Representatives Brandon Vick, Jeremie Dufault, Larry Hoff, Cyndi Jacobsen, Mari Leavitt, Tarra Simmons, Chris Corry, Tana Senn, Strom Peterson, Roger Goodman, Marcus Riccelli, Lauren Davis, Nicole Macri, and Jesse Young.

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