Kansas committee hears bill to eliminate most juvenile fines and fees

A bill to prohibit most juvenile fines and fees and to discharge past assessments drew supporters and detailed questions at a Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice hearing.

Jason Thompson, of the Revisor’s Office, briefed the committee on House Bill 2,179, saying the measure “prohibits fines and fees from being assessed against a juvenile or a juvenile's parents, guardian, or custodian in a case pursuant to the revised Kansas juvenile justice code.” He said the bill would also discharge outstanding court-ordered fines and fees assessed under the juvenile offender code after the bill’s effective date of July 1, 2025.

The bill, as described by Thompson, exempts juveniles from a long list of existing fees and cost assessments across statutes tied to juvenile justice: fingerprinting and library fees, house arrest program fees, offender-registration fees when…