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Committee keeps $1 filing fee for pro bono infrastructure on the books
Summary
House Bill 1478 would remove the sunset on a $1 civil-case filing fee that funds infrastructure for pro bono legal services; the Indiana Bar Foundation said 100% of the collected amount is passed to Pro Bono Indiana to support malpractice coverage, trainings and case screening.
House Bill 1478 would eliminate the sunset on a $1 fee charged with certain civil filings (including small claims and probate) that funds the infrastructure supporting pro bono legal services statewide. Representative Zimmerman presented the bill and witnesses representing Docs Pop LLC and the Indiana Bar Foundation urged the committee to retain the funding stream.
Danielle Coulter of Docs Pop, a Richmond-based web service that provides access to county court systems, said her company sees frequent need for pro bono services in circuit courts and supports the bill to preserve funding for case screening and referral infrastructure. "We greatly appreciate this bill ... to see this critical funding still exist," Coulter told the committee.
Chuck Dunlap, executive director of the Indiana Bar Foundation, explained that the foundation receives the fee amount twice yearly from county clerks and forwards 100% of the collected dollars to Pro Bono Indiana, which uses the money for malpractice insurance, continuing-legal-education and other infrastructure that enables attorneys to accept pro bono cases. Dunlap said the fee generates roughly $360,000 annually.
The committee voted to recommit the bill to the tax/fiscal committee; the committee record shows the chair calling the roll and a recorded 10–0 result on the motion to recommit.
