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Committee adopts amendment and advances House Bill 4893 to raise magistrate contempt penalties
Summary
A legislative committee adopted a strike-and-insert amendment to Committee Substitute for House Bill 4893 that raises maximum contempt fines in magistrate court and reported the bill to the full senate with a recommendation to pass. The amendment passed by voice vote.
A Senate committee adopted a strike-and-insert amendment and voted to report Committee Substitute for House Bill 4893 to the full senate with a recommendation that it pass.
Counsel explained that the amendment increases penalties for contempt in magistrate court: for a first offense the maximum fine would rise from $50 to $200 and include community service; for a second offense the fine rises from $100 to $500 (with community service); and for a third offense the fine could increase to $1,000 and include weekend jail or placement in a work-release program under 62-11A-1a. Counsel also told the committee the current $50 cap for fines levied without a jury trial “has not been raised since at least 1923.”
Vice Chair moved adoption of the strike-and-insert amendment and the committee approved it by voice vote; the vice chair then moved that the bill, as amended, be reported to the full senate with a recommendation that it pass. The chair declared both motions adopted after voice votes.
The committee also adopted a title amendment before reporting the bill. No roll-call vote totals were recorded in the transcript; the chair declared the ayes to have it after voice votes. The bill will be sent to the full senate for further consideration.
