SB 1477: Enforcement of judgments: wage garnishment.

Existing law sets forth procedures for the levy of a judgment debtors wages when required to enforce a money judgment. Existing law specifies that the maximum amount of a judgment debtors disposable earnings for any workweek that is subject to levy shall not exceed the lesser of certain specified percentages, including 50% of the amount by which the disposable earnings for the week exceed 40 times the state minimum hourly wage. Existing law specifies certain multipliers to determine the maximum amount of disposable earning subject to levy for any pay period other than a weekly pay period.

This bill would provide that the maximum amount of disposable earnings of a judgment debtor for any workweek that is subject to levy must not exceed the lesser of 20% of the individuals disposable earnings for that week or 40% of the amount by which the individuals disposable earnings for that week exceed 48 times the state minimum hourly wage. The bill would reduce the multipliers used to determine the maximum amount of earnings subject to levy for any pay period other than a weekly pay period. The bill would make these provisions operative on September 1, 2023.