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Senator May tells committee SB 945 would let St. Louis courts raise filing surcharge to $20 for law libraries

Committee on Corrections and Public Institutions (Missouri House) · April 8, 2026

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Summary

Senate Bill 945 would permit the St. Louis circuit court to raise an existing civil filing surcharge from $15 (set in 1996) to up to $20 to fund law-library subscriptions, technology and public services; the bill drew supportive testimony from the Law Library Association and committee questions about sufficiency and other funding sources.

Senator Carla May told the Committee on Corrections and Public Institutions on April 8 that Senate Bill 945 would allow the circuit court in the city of St. Louis to increase a civil-case filing surcharge from $15 to up to $20, with revenue directed to maintain and upgrade the city’s law library.

"Law libraries play a critical role in our judicial system," Senator May said, noting that the current $15 surcharge has been in place since 1996. She said the increase would align St. Louis with other circuits and help fund print and digital legal resources, outreach programs and facility improvements.

Sean Milford, a board member of the Law Library Association of Saint Louis, testified in support. Milford said the library—among the oldest west of the Mississippi—relies on the surcharge, membership fees and donations; many subscription and database costs have risen while filing revenues have stagnated due in part to venue reform that moved filings away from the city. Milford said criminal defendants, indigent parties and those represented by legal-aid do not pay the surcharge; the cost primarily falls on tort, collection and landlord plaintiffs.

Committee members asked whether $20 would be enough (noting a consumer-price index comparison that would suggest roughly $30 to match 1996 value), what other funding sources the library uses, and whether incarcerated persons have access to library materials. Milford said donations and membership fees supplement the filing fee and that the library provides requested materials to incarcerated individuals on written request, though he did not have exact revenue figures on hand.

There was no recorded opposition testimony; the chair closed the hearing on SB 945 and moved to the next agenda item.