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Sponsor says fines shouldn't fund enforcing agencies; cities and counties warn bill would drain local budgets
Summary
Sen. Noah Robinson proposed sending fines and civil penalties collected by public bodies to the state general fund. Local governments, courts and county associations testified the change would strip crucial local revenue and impair services.
Sen. Noah Robinson told the Senate Judiciary Committee that Senate Bill 665 would require public bodies to transfer fines and civil penalties collected under state law to the State Treasurer for deposit in the state general fund.
“Fines usually are a penalty levied against an individual for doing something wrong… those fines really should not be tied the individuals making the fines,” Robinson said when he introduced the bill, arguing it could create a perverse incentive if enforcement entities directly benefited from fines.
Local governments, county associations and judicial groups told senators the…
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