Senate finance committee clears bill on criminal‑history fund; asks judiciary to decide fate of $26,000

The Senate Finance Committee voted to report S.12 favorably after members raised questions about an unspent judicial fund totaling roughly $26,000 that committee staff said had been set up in 2019 but never operationalized.

Chair Cummings told the committee staff that joint fiscal had discovered the money and that the bill had been brought to the Finance Committee because the fund appeared on their list. Committee members said they did not know why an administrative fee tied to certain expungements had collected money in a fund that the judiciary had not activated. One senator noted concern that a $200 fee was being charged to some people seeking expungement while others were not, and suggested the Judiciary Committee, which created the fund, should decide whether to keep the fee, eliminate it, or redistribute the balance (for example to victim services, which were mentioned as struggling).

Members agreed to ask an emissary — identified in committee discussion as Senator Matos — to work with the Judiciary Committee to “clean this up” and recommend what should be done with the $26,000. The committee then voted to approve S.12 “as presented,” with the proviso that the emissary pursue clarifying language with Judiciary and, if necessary, address the issue in a later miscellaneous tax vehicle.

The committee’s discussion and vote were procedural: members did not adopt a specific plan for the fund’s disposition during the Finance meeting but explicitly directed follow‑up with Judiciary. The committee record shows a roll‑call in which the named senators called during the vote registered “yes.”

The committee’s chair and staff said the judiciary has separate authority over its funds and that any change to the use or disposition of the money would require judiciary action or clear direction from that committee.