House approves bill letting courts place trust funds in interest-bearing accounts

Salt Lake City — The Utah House passed House Bill 3 87, which allows funds the courts hold in trust to be placed in interest-bearing accounts and clarifies how accrued interest should be handled.

Sponsor Representative Aleckton said courts collect millions of dollars annually in fines and forfeitures and that some funds have been held in noninterest-bearing trust accounts. HB 3 87 would permit placing such funds in interest-bearing accounts; interest on larger accounts would accrue to the account owner, while interest from numerous small accounts (for example, parking tickets) would be aggregated and appropriated by the Legislature to the Judicial Council for enumerated purposes.

The sponsor pointed members to language on the bill’s last page authorizing legislative appropriation from the restricted account to the Judicial Council for specified uses. No additional substantive floor amendments were offered, and the House recorded 61 yes votes and no opposition before referring the bill to the Senate.