Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Court Fees Surcharge topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee advances substitute to create $80 surcharge and new state accounts for public defense and interpreters
Summary
The committee reported out a substitute to HB 1207 that reduces a proposed new filing-fee surcharge to $80, designates $60 of the surcharge to state purposes including new public defense and court interpreter accounts, and requires counties to create clerk administrative assistance funds; the substitute passed 8-4.
A substitute to House Bill 1207 that would create a new statewide surcharge on certain superior court filing fees and direct portions of the fee to new state accounts and local clerk funds was reported out of the Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee on Feb. 21.
Under the proposed substitute, the additional filing-fee surcharge was reduced from $100 to $80. Of the $80 surcharge, the state’s portion was increased from $35 to $60; the substitute directs $20 to a new Public Defense Support Account, $20 to a new Court Interpreter Support Account, $5 to the Library and Archives Building, and $15 to the Local Government Archives Account. Each county would be required to establish a county clerk administrative assistance fund to receive a portion of the surcharge.
Sponsor Representative Tai, who led the bill through committee, described the bill as part of ongoing work to fund archives and related services. “I will be the first to acknowledge that there's so much work needed to be done in this space while acknowledging the need to provide funding for our archives,” Tai said, and pledged continued negotiation with stakeholders. Opponents on the floor raised concerns about access to justice and local impacts: Representative Burnett said his caucus would vote no and cited an emailed opposition from the Administrative Office of the Courts and several commissions, noting concerns about interpreter access and justice-of-minority impacts.
Committee members debated local capacity and funding: supporters argued the surcharge would create dedicated state accounts for public defense and interpreters and provide resources for archives; opponents warned the proposal could shift costs to local governments and raise access-to-justice concerns.
On the roll call, the committee recorded eight ayes, four nays and one excused. Representatives voting aye were Taylor, Farvar, Entenmann, Goodman, Peterson, Salahuddin, Tai and Wallin. Representatives voting nay were Walsh, Abel, Burnett and Jacobson. Representative Graham was excused. By that vote, the committee reported the proposed substitute for HB 1207 out of committee with a due-pass recommendation.
