The in basket: Jim DeLorm of Port Orchard says he’s “just
curious” in asking “where or how did the price for tickets get
started? It’s always $101, for seat belts, construction zones and
now yellow lights, and whatever else.
“Are they supposed to be like Math 101 and English 101. Maybe now
Traffic Laws 101?
“Who gets the money?” he asked. “A hundred dollars to the governor
and $1 to the State Patrol, or maybe vice versa?”
The in basket: Jim DeLorm of Port Orchard says he’s “just curious”
in asking “where or how did the price for tickets get started? It’s
always $101, for seat belts, construction zones and now yellow
lights, and whatever else.
“Are they supposed to be like Math 101 and English 101. Maybe now
Traffic Laws 101?
“Who gets the money?” he asked. “A hundred dollars to the governor
and $1 to the State Patrol, or maybe vice versa?”
The out basket: It’s a timely question, because the standard fine
no longer is $101. State Trooper Brian George says it went up to
$112 on April 30 and will go up again on July 22 to $124.
The first jump of $11 was one of the intermittent increases such as
the one that resulted in the $101 for a few years. The $12 July
increase was enacted by the Legislature to pay for programs to curb
vehicle theft ($10) and programs for individuals with traumatic
brain injuries ($2). Judges aren’t authorized to waive or
reduce the $10 for car theft prevention, but can reduce or waive
the $2.
Of the basic $112, 57 percent goes to the local jurisdiction
wherein the citation was issued (WSP citations are written into
county district courts) and the remaining 43 percent goes to the
Public Safety Education Account (PSEA), Brian said. The WSP
does not receive a monetary benefit from the 57 percent, and gets
less than 5 percent from the PSEA, which primarily goes to the
State Patrol Crime Laboratory.
