This amendment to House Bill No.

Plain English Breakdown

The official status indicates the bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, but no effective date is provided in the source material.

Amendment to House Bill No. 133 on Court Fees and Waivers

This amendment clarifies which court costs can be waived for people facing financial hardship by excluding restitution, specific traffic violations, and certain victim fund assessments.

What This Bill Does

• Clarifies that the word 'fee' does not include money paid as restitution to victims.
• States that toll violations, red light camera tickets, speed camera tickets, and offenses eligible for voluntary assessment cannot have their fees waived or modified.
• Exempts assessments related to the Victims Compensation Fund from being waived, suspended, or modified by courts.
• Removes a requirement for courts to submit an additional report.
• Makes a technical correction to fix wording in the bill.

Who It Names or Affects

• Courts that handle fines and fees
• People who owe money from criminal cases or motor vehicle offenses

Terms To Know

Hardship waiver

A rule allowing courts to reduce, remove, suspend, or modify fines and fees for people with financial problems.

Restitution

Money paid by a person who broke the law directly to the victim of that crime; this is not considered a 'fee' under this bill.

Limits and Unknowns

• The official text does not state when this amendment will officially take effect.
• The summary lists specific violations like red light and speed camera tickets, but the detailed legal text refers to them broadly as offenses eligible for voluntary assessment or civil penalties.

Official Summary Text

This amendment to House Bill No. 133 does all of the following: (1) clarifies that the word “fee” as used in the hardship waiver statute does not include restitution; (2) clarifies that toll violations, offenses eligible for voluntary assessment, red light camera, and speed camera violations are not eligible for waiver or modification under this Act; (3) makes a technical correction; (4) exempts assessments related to the Victims Compensation Fund from the courts’ authority to waive, modify, and suspend fines and fees; and (5) removes an additional report required of the courts.

Current Bill Text

Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Rep. Snyder-Hall

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE AMENDMENT NO. 4

TO

HOUSE BILL NO. 133

AMEND House Bill No. 133 by deleting lines 22 and 23 in their entirety and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

“

(a) (1) For purposes of this section “fee” includes a cost, penalty, assessment, or any other monetary obligation that is related to a criminal case or a motor vehicle offense. “Fee” does not include restitution or a fine.

(2) A hardship waiver under this section may not be applied to an offense that is eligible for voluntary assessment under § 709 of Title 21, a civil penalty under § 4129 of Title 21, or to any electronic monitoring violation under Chapter 41 of Title 21.

”.

FURTHER AMEND House Bill No. 133 at line 61 by deleting “

subsection

” as it appears therein and inserting in lieu thereof “

paragraph

”.

FURTHER AMEND House Bill No. 133 by deleting lines 67 through 69 in their entirety and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

“

(f) (1) Except as set forth under paragraph (f)(2) of this section and notwithstanding any law or court rule to the contrary, the court may choose not to impose or may at any time waive, suspend, or modify any fine or fee including those otherwise deemed mandatory or not subject to waiver or suspension.

(2) The penalty assessment under § 9016 of this title may not be waived, suspended, or modified under this section.

”.

FURTHER AMEND House Bill No. 133 by deleting lines 78 through 81 in their entirety.

SYNOPSIS

This amendment to House Bill No. 133 does all of the following: (1) clarifies that the word “fee” as used in the hardship waiver statute does not include restitution; (2) clarifies that toll violations, offenses eligible for voluntary assessment, red light camera, and speed camera violations are not eligible for waiver or modification under this Act; (3) makes a technical correction; (4) exempts assessments related to the Victims Compensation Fund from the courts’ authority to waive, modify, and suspend fines and fees; and (5) removes an additional report required of the courts.