House hears bill to raise sheriff process‑service fees; in‑floor amendment limits one fee to $50

Representative (sponsor) introduced Senate Bill 33 to raise fees for sheriff process services, saying some fees have not changed since 1991 and that increases would better reflect labor and costs for complex services such as attachment on property (e.g., serving notices at seized properties) and reduce taxpayer subsidy of those operations.

The sponsor said counties in most jurisdictions perform civil process service; only four counties use constables. The bill originally proposed raising the 'attachment on property' fee from $25 to $75, then the sponsor corrected that the floor amendment changes it to $50 (sponsor stated the amendment at the lectern). The sponsor described attachments on property as a 3–4 person operation that can take 3–4 hours, often involving seized or drug‑related houses.

Members asked about the fiscal note and who would receive revenue from higher fees. In response, the sponsor said there is no separate fiscal note and described the fee as a user charge paid by the person requesting service rather than a general tax; the sponsor acknowledged it would generate revenue for an unspecified recipient. Committee reporting was noted: the political subdivisions committee heard SB33 and reported it 9 yes, 1 no.

The discussion on the floor focused on clarifying the specific line number for the fee and confirming the amended amount. No final House floor passage vote was recorded in the transcript excerpt provided; the committee vote and the in‑floor clarification of the amended amount are the clear formal actions recorded in this excerpt.

The next procedural steps noted in the session were routine (further bills and motions), and the House recessed later in the morning.