JBC staff outlines draft judicial fee-adjustment authority; asks to run next year after fiscal analysis

A JBC staff member presented a 44-page draft bill that would give the judicial branch authority to adjust fees internally within limits and thereby reduce recurring requests for general-fund backfills of insolvent cash funds.

The staff presenter described Section 1 as the core authority and said much of the draft restores statutory dollar amounts and points them to the new adjustment mechanism. The mechanism limits average fee increases to the average state revenue growth over the prior four years and contains reporting requirements so the judicial branch would show where increased fees are going and which cash funds receive the revenue.

Staff asked not to proceed with the bill this session and requested time to work through the mechanism and produce fiscal estimates for a future filing; an intended implementation date of July 1, 2026, was discussed. Committee members pressed for accurate fiscal notes and for guardrails to avoid shifting costs to low-income court users; one member warned that raising fees does not replace the need to reduce general-fund liabilities next year.

No vote was taken; staff said they will return with further analysis and projected revenue impacts before any committee action.