House Judiciary panel approves substitute to HB 6033 allowing new fees for process servers

The House Judiciary Committee approved substitute H-1 to House Bill 6033 at a committee meeting, adopting changes that adjust what process servers may charge when serving court papers. Chair Leitner explained the substitute and the committee adopted it by roll call.

Chair Leitner described the key changes in the H-1 substitute: allowing process servers to charge 25¢ per page for printed or reproduced documents, a $5 reimbursement for electronic filing, and permitting a $50 fee per attempt for service for up to three attempts. "They can charge 25¢ a page," the chair said while outlining the substitute’s cost provisions.

Committee members voted on the substitute by roll call; the clerk recorded the substitute as adopted and the committee then reported HB 6033 with recommendation. The motion to report the bill with recommendation was made on the floor (moved by Rep. Bagole) and the clerk announced the motion prevailed.

Support and opposition were registered in written testimony that the clerk read into the record earlier in the meeting: the Michigan Court Officers and Deputy Sheriff's Process Servers Association filed support for HB 6033, and written testimony from other parties was noted as attached. No public speakers were recorded on the floor for this bill during the meeting.

The committee’s action moves HB 6033 forward with the H-1 substitute. The committee record does not specify implementation timing or whether the fee changes require additional agency rulemaking; those details were not provided in the meeting record.