Kentucky committee backs bill to collect statewide data on court costs, fines and fees

Representative Jennifer Henson Decker, sponsor of House Bill 774, told the House Judiciary Committee the bill would create consistent statewide reporting of costs, fines, fees, interest and late-payment charges imposed in criminal proceedings and civil traffic enforcement actions.

"To make informed public policy decisions ... lawmakers need complete and accurate data on the number, types, amounts, and the distribution of the costs, fines, and fees they impose," Representative Jennifer Henson Decker said, describing the measure as a transparency and accountability tool rather than a debt-collection statute.

David Morgan, government affairs associate with the Reason Foundation, testified in support and urged the committee to adopt the bill. "Kentucky policymakers currently lack basic data on how much is being assessed in fines, fees, and court costs," Morgan said, adding that researchers told him confidence in available data is low. He cited testimony that Kentuckians owed at least $91 million in unpaid court debt as of January 2019.

Committee members asked whether HB 774 would create mechanisms to recover unpaid balances. Decker and Morgan both emphasized the bill is a study and data-collection effort. "This bill does not make any policy moves. It doesn't seek to collect. It seeks information," Decker said, noting the goal is to inform future policy decisions.

Representative Marzian and other lawmakers asked about potential costs to implement the reporting system; some members expressed concern that the bill may not include sufficient appropriation to do the work effectively. Representative Burke explained his supporting but cautious vote by saying he feared the appropriation might be inadequate to deliver the comprehensive data the bill envisions.

The clerk recorded 18 yes votes, no no votes and two passes; the committee favorably passed House Bill 774.