Assigned to JUDE FOR COMMITTEE
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular Session
FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1350
defensive driving schools; fees
Purpose
Requires the court of record (court) or a vendor that is contracted by the court (vendor),
rather than a driving school, to collect and appropriately transmit fees related to defensive driving
school.
Background
Statute requires a defensive driving school to collect the court diversion fee, a $45
surcharge, a $15 supreme court fee, defensive driving school fund fee and, if any, the fee charged
by the school. The driving school must promptly transmit the court diversion fee to the appropriate
court, the surcharge to the State Treasurer and the supreme court fee to the Arizona Supreme Court.
The presiding court judge must charge an individual a $45 surcharge if the individual
attends defensive driving school. Once transmitted to the State Treasurer the first $10,400,000 in
revenue must be deposited to the Department of Public Safety Forensics Fund, with all remaining
monies deposited to the state General Fund (A.R.S. §§ 28-3396 and 28-3397).
The monies in the Defensive Driving School Fund are subject to legislative appropriation
and must be used to supervise the use of defensive driving schools by the courts in Arizona and to
expedite the processing of offenses (A.R.S. § 28-3398).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this
legislation.
Provisions
1. Requires a court or vendor, rather than a defensive driving school, to:
a) collect the court diversion fee and surcharge before or at the time an individual attends the
driving school;
b) submit the surcharge to the State Treasurer;
c) collect the Defensive Driving School Fund fee before or at the time an individual attends
the driving school, to be subsequently collected by the school; and
d) collect the supreme court fee and transmit the fee to the Arizona Supreme Court.
2. Specifies that a vendor may not be affiliated with any defensive driving school in Arizona.
3. Makes technical and conforming changes.
4. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
February 17, 2025
ZD/AW/ci