House adopts conference committee report on court security fee; fee set at $25, advocates cite $550,000 appropriation

The Utah House on March 5 adopted the conference committee report on third substitute House Bill 371, the court security fee bill, sending the measure back to the Senate for signature.

Representative Hogue, sponsor of the conference committee report, said the committee adopted the revised bill by a 5–1 vote and that the conference language restored the court security dollar amount “It makes it at $25 now,” Hogue said. The package offsets that reduction by adding $5 to a civil filing fee, which Hogue said was increased “from $45 to $50” on the bill’s Line 48.

Representative Benyon told colleagues the fee changes would affect about “60,000” people, a figure cited on the floor during questions about the distributional impact. Hogue said the fee adjustments and an associated $550,000 appropriation would need a two‑thirds vote to be effective in April so the fees could be collected in the current fiscal year.

The House reported the vote on the conference committee report and on the bill: third substitute House Bill 371 received 44 yes votes and 23 no votes and will be returned to the Senate for the president’s signature. Members debated a procedural request to allow several members who were off the floor to record yes votes; that request prompted objections and a contested procedural exchange but did not change the recorded outcome.

What happens next: HB371 will be sent back to the Senate for the president’s signature and, if the appropriation requires a two‑thirds effective date and that threshold is met, the fee changes would take effect in April to permit fee collection for the fiscal year.

Sources: Floor debate and vote tally as read on the House floor.