Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Civil Procedure Judgment Renewal topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee advances bill to simplify renewal of civil judgments
Summary
House Bill 1959 would streamline renewal of civil judgments, replacing a convoluted writ-and-hearing process with a notice filing and service requirement, according to the sponsor.
A committee advanced House Bill 1959, which the sponsor described as a procedural modernization simplifying how creditors renew civil judgments after the current 10-year effective period.
Representative Matt Brown (District 55) told the committee that under current Arkansas practice a judgment holder must use a cumbersome writ—described in testimony as a “scire facias” procedure—requiring a filing, service on the defendant, and a hearing even when there is no objection. HB 1959 would instead allow the judgment creditor to file a notice in the case and serve the defendant; the notice would state the outstanding judgment amount and give the defendant an opportunity to object.
“It's just a very convoluted process,” Representative Brown said, explaining that most other states have moved to simplified notice-based systems and that the bill would align Arkansas with that practice.
No witnesses testified for or against the bill during the recorded proceeding; the sponsor closed and asked for a favorable vote. The committee recorded a motion for a do-pass recommendation and carried the motion on the transcript.
The bill, as described in committee, amends civil-procedure renewal steps and does not include a budgetary impact in the testimony.
