(a) (1) The Controller shall, to the extent feasible, offset any amount overdue and unpaid for a fine, penalty, assessment, bail, vehicle parking penalty, or court-ordered reimbursement for court-related services, from a person or entity, against any amount owing the person or entity by a state agency on a claim for a refund from the Franchise Tax Board under the Personal Income Tax Law or the Bank and Corporation Tax Law, from winnings in the California State Lottery, or a cash payment of a claim for unclaimed property held by the state. Standards and procedures for submission of requests for offsets shall be as prescribed by the Controller. Neither the Controller nor the Franchise Tax Board shall condition a request for offset on the submission of a person’s social security number. If sufficient funds are not available to satisfy an offset request, the Controller, after first applying the amounts available to any amount due a state agency, may allocate the balance among any other requests for offset.
(2) Any request for an offset for a vehicle parking penalty shall be submitted within three years of the date the penalty was incurred. This three year maximum term for refund offsets for parking tickets applies to requests submitted to the Controller on or after January 1, 2004.
(b) Once an offset request for a vehicle parking penalty is made, a local agency may not accrue additional interest charges, collection charges, penalties, or other charges on or after the date that the offset request is made. Payment of an offset request for a vehicle parking penalty shall be made on the condition that it constitutes full and final payment of that offset.
(c) The Controller shall deduct and retain from any amount offset in favor of a city, county, city and county, court, or special district an amount sufficient to reimburse the Controller, the Franchise Tax Board, the California State Lottery, and the Department of Motor Vehicles for their administrative costs of processing the offset payment.
(d) If necessary to confirm the identity of a person before making an offset, the Franchise Tax Board may, upon paying any necessary fees, obtain a social security number from the Department of Motor Vehicles, as authorized by subdivision (f) of Section 1653.5 of the Vehicle Code.
(e) Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 6250) of Division 7 of Title 1, or any other law, the social security number of a person obtained pursuant to Section 4150, 4150.2, or 12800 of the Vehicle Code is not a public record and shall only be provided by the Department of Motor Vehicles to an authorized agency for the sole purpose of making an offset pursuant to this section for an unpaid vehicle parking penalty or an unpaid fine, penalty, assessment, or bail of which the Department of Motor Vehicles has been notified pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 40509 of the Vehicle Code or Section 1803 of the Vehicle Code, responding to information requests from the Franchise Tax Board for the purpose of tax administration, and responding to requests for information from an agency, operating pursuant to and carrying out the provisions of Part A (Block Grants to States for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), or Part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of Subchapter IV of Chapter 7 of Title 42 of the United States Code. As used in this section, “authorized agency” means the Controller, the Franchise Tax Board, or the California State Lottery Commission.
(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 210, Sec. 3. (SB 184) Effective January 1, 2014.)