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House advances H880 to fund court backlog; tax and fee changes approved to back investments in courts and public-safety services
Summary
The Vermont House amended and advanced H880, a bill that directs new resources to courts, prosecutors, defenders and victim services to reduce a multi-year case backlog; the chamber approved revenue changes including adjustments to the $47 judicial bureau surcharge and corporate tax provisions to help pay for the measures.
The House on voice and roll-call votes advanced H880, an act seeking to speed case disposition across Vermont’s judicial system and provide funding for courts, prosecutors, defenders, Department of Corrections services and victim-support programs.
The bill, presented by the member from South Burlington for the House Judiciary Committee, frames the problem as a backlog in criminal and civil dockets and says faster, certain consequences are essential to deterrence and public safety. The committee’s package includes appropriations for limited-service positions in the judiciary, the Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs, and the defender general’s office, plus grants for community justice centers and funding for the Vermont Access to Justice Coalition.
To fund those investments, the Ways and Means amendment modifies how the $47 judicial bureau surcharge is allocated under 13 VSA 7282 and adds revenue changes. The amendment restores pre-Act 78 allocations for older offenses, adjusts the allocation for offenses…
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