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House adopts flat $4.50 per-page fee for appellate court transcripts in SB 115
Summary
The House amended Senate Bill 115 to set a flat $4.50 per-page fee for court transcripts submitted to appellate courts, citing administrative efficiency for the Court of Appeals; the amendment and the bill passed the House (amendment carried, final vote 64–4).
The Utah House amended and passed Senate Bill 115 on Feb. 26, setting a flat $4.50 per-page fee for court-certified transcripts filed in appeals.
Representative Craig Snow, sponsor of the House amendment, said he consulted the Court Reporters Association and the Court of Appeals clerk and that the $4.50 flat fee is a compromise between the prior $3.50 flat-rate and the Senate language that allowed up to $5 per page. "This amendment ... changes the language from 'up to $5 per page' to $4.50 per page flat fee," Snow said on the floor.
Snow and other proponents explained that the Court of Appeals operates a rotation list of transcribers and that multiple rates would complicate fair assignment. He said the per-page fee had not been increased in 13 years and argued reporters deserve a raise. Opponents questioned whether a fixed fee removes market competition, and whether the change affects funds used for courtroom technology, but Snow replied stakeholders and the court clerk supported the flat fee for administrative reasons.
The House carried the amendment and later passed SB 115 with the House amendment; the clerk announced the vote as 64 yay, 4 nay. The bill will be returned to the Senate with the House amendment.
Clarifying details: sponsor said the amended language removes the courts from the middle of billing and requires direct payment between requesting attorneys and court reporters. The discussion on the floor referenced the Court of Appeals' preference for a single flat fee to manage rotation among reporters.
