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HB0193 • 2020

Court automation fees.

AN ACT relating to courts; increasing and conforming specified court automation and filing fees; and providing for an effective date.

Budget Crime Technology
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Appropriations
Last action
2020-03-12
Official status
enrolled
Effective date
7/1/2020

Plain English Breakdown

The exact distribution of funds and impact on low-income individuals are not detailed in the provided material.

Court Automation and Filing Fees Increase

This law increases court automation fees for various types of cases and filing fees for civil matters, effective July 1, 2020.

What This Bill Does

  • Increases the court automation fee in municipal courts from $25 to $40 for violations of city or town ordinances.
  • Raises the court automation fee in circuit courts from $25 to $40 for civil matters and misdemeanor cases.
  • Boosts the court automation fee in district courts from $30 to $40 for probate and civil matters, and from $25 to $40 for filing transcripts in appealed cases.
  • Increases the court automation fee in chancery courts from $25 to $100.
  • Raises the court automation fee in supreme courts from $25 to $55.
  • Increases the filing fees in district courts from $110 to $120 for civil matters and from $85 to $100 for filing transcripts in appealed cases.
  • Increases the filing fees in supreme courts from $25 to $75.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who are involved in municipal, circuit, district, chancery, and supreme court cases will pay higher fees for court automation services and filing documents.

Terms To Know

Court Automation Fee
A fee charged by courts to support the use of electronic systems and technology.
Filing Fees
Money paid when submitting legal documents or cases to a court.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the increased fees will be used beyond supporting automation.
  • It is unclear if there are exceptions for low-income individuals who might struggle with higher fees.
  • The exact impact on court operations and technology improvements remains to be seen.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HB0193HS001

Standing Committee • House Appropriations Committee

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes the fees for certain court automation services from $40 to higher amounts.

  • Increases a specified court automation fee from $40 to $55.
  • Increases another specified court filing or automation fee from $40 to $100.
  • The amendment does not specify which specific services these fees apply to, so it's unclear exactly what changes for users of the court system.
HB0193S2001

2nd reading • Senator Kinskey

Corrected, Corrected, Failed

Plain English: The amendment adds a mandatory $40 court automation fee for violations of city or town ordinances, specifies how the fee is distributed between local governments and the state's judicial systems automation account, and removes discretionary collection provisions.

  • Adds a new subsection to mandate a $40 court automation fee for each violation of city or town ordinances.
  • Specifies that up to $10 of the fee can be kept by cities or towns to cover costs related to electronic citation systems, with the rest going to the state's judicial systems automation account.
  • Repeals discretionary collection provisions.
  • The amendment text is complex and may have additional implications not fully covered in this summary.

Bill History

  1. 2020-03-12 LSO

    Assigned Chapter Number 66

  2. 2020-03-12 Governor

    Governor Signed HEA No. 0040

  3. 2020-03-09 Senate

    S President Signed HEA No. 0040

  4. 2020-03-06 House

    H Speaker Signed HEA No. 0040

  5. 2020-03-06 LSO

    Assigned Number HEA No. 0040

  6. 2020-03-06 Senate

    S 3rd Reading:Passed 17-11-2-0-0

  7. 2020-03-05 Senate

    S 2nd Reading:Passed

  8. 2020-03-04 Senate

    S 2nd Reading:Laid Back

  9. 2020-03-03 Senate

    S COW:Passed

  10. 2020-03-02 Senate

    S Placed on General File

  11. 2020-03-02 Senate

    S02 - Appropriations:Recommend Do Pass 4-0-1-0-0

  12. 2020-02-27 Senate

    S Introduced and Referred to S02 - Appropriations

  13. 2020-02-20 Senate

    S Received for Introduction

  14. 2020-02-19 House

    H 3rd Reading:Passed 44-14-2-0-0

  15. 2020-02-18 House

    H 2nd Reading:Passed

  16. 2020-02-17 House

    H COW:Passed

  17. 2020-02-14 House

    H Placed on General File

  18. 2020-02-14 House

    H02 - Appropriations:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 7-0-0-0-0

  19. 2020-02-12 House

    H Introduced and Referred to H02 - Appropriations 51-9-0-0-0

  20. 2020-02-12 House

    H Received for Introduction

  21. 2020-02-11 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Official Summary Text

Bill Summary - 20LSO-0445
Bill No.:

HB0193

Effective:

7/1/2020 12:00:00 AM

LSO No.:

20LSO-0445

Enrolled Act No.:

HEA No. 0040

Chapter No.:

66

Prime Sponsor:

Joint Appropriations Committee

Catch Title:

Court automation fees.

Subject:

Increases

court automation and filing fees.

Summary/Major Elements:

Increases Court automation fees as follows:
Municipal Court:
For a violation of a city or town ordinance from twenty-five dollars ($25.00) to forty dollars ($40.00).
Circuit Court:
Civil matters and misdemeanor cases from twenty-five dollars ($25.00) to forty dollars ($40.00).
District Court:
For probate and civil matters from thirty dollars ($30.00) to forty dollars ($40.00);
For filing transcripts in cases appealed to the Supreme Court, appeals or bills of exception and transcripts of judgment from Circuit Court and for felony matters from twenty-five ($25.00) to forty dollars ($40.00).
Chancery Court:
From twenty-five dollars ($25.00) to one hundred dollars ($100.00).
Supreme Court:
From twenty-five dollars ($25.00) to fifty-five dollars ($55.00).
Increases Court filing fees as follows:
District Court:
For civil matters from one hundred ten dollars ($110.00) to one hundred twenty dollars ($120.00);
For filing transcripts in cases appealed to the Supreme Court and for appeals or bills of exception and transcripts of judgment from Circuit
Court from
eighty-five dollars ($85.00) to one hundred dollars ($100.00).
Supreme Court:
From twenty-five dollars ($25.00) to seventy-five dollars ($75.00).
The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent. While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
20LSO-0445

ORIGINAL House

Bill No
.
HB0193

ENROLLED ACT NO. 40,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2020 Budget Session

AN ACT relating to courts; increasing and conforming specified court automation and filing fees; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 2
‑
2
‑
401(a)(iii), 5
‑
2
‑
202, 5
‑
3
‑
206(a)(i), (vii) and (x), 5
‑
6
‑
108(a)(i), 5
‑
9
‑
135, 5
‑
13
‑
202, 6
‑
10
‑
102 and 6
‑
10
‑
103 are amended to read:

2
‑
2
‑
401.

Schedule; additional charges.

(a)

For probate matters filed or commenced, the clerk of the district court shall collect fees as follows:

(iii)

In addition to the original filing fee under paragraph (a)(i) of this subsection, a court automation fee in the amount of
thirty dollars ($30.00)
forty dollars ($40.00)
which shall be deposited into the judicial systems automation account established by W.S. 5
‑
2
‑
120;

5
‑
2
‑
202.

Collection of fees.

The clerk of the supreme court shall collect the following fees from the plaintiff in error or appellant, or in case of an original proceeding the plaintiff or relator shall, at the time of filing the petition in error or record on appeal or when commencing the cause in this court, the sum of
twenty
‑
five dollars ($25.00)
seventy
‑
five dollars ($75.00)
. At the time of filing, the clerk also shall collect a court automation fee in the amount of
twenty
‑
five dollars ($25.00)
fifty-five dollars ($55.00)
which shall be deposited into the judicial systems automation account
established by W.S. 5
‑
2
‑
120, and an indigent civil legal services fee in the amount of ten dollars ($10.00) which shall be deposited into the indigent civil legal services account established by W.S. 5
‑
2
‑
121. Other fees or charges to be assessed within the clerk's office are to be determined under rules of the supreme court.

5
‑
3
‑
206.

Fees.

(a)

For all civil matters filed or commenced, the clerk of each district court shall charge the following fees:

(i)

For filing instruments or documents in each civil action and certifying one (1) copy of any order, decree or judgment at the time of its filing for each party, an original filing fee of
one hundred ten dollars ($110.00)
one hundred twenty dollars ($120.00)
which shall be paid by the plaintiff. This fee shall apply to original actions commenced and to actions that are reopened after a final decree previously has been entered.
Thirty dollars ($30.00)
Forty dollars ($40.00)
of the filing fee shall be for court automation, ten dollars ($10.00) shall be for indigent civil legal services and both shall be remitted as provided in W.S. 5
‑
3
‑
205;

(vii)

For all transcripts in cases appealed to the supreme court,
eighty
‑
five dollars ($85.00)
one hundred dollars ($100.00)
, including certificates, seals and transmission.
Twenty
‑
five dollars ($25.00)
Forty dollars ($40.00)
of the fee under this paragraph shall be for court automation, ten dollars ($10.00) shall be for indigent civil legal services and both shall be remitted as provided in W.S. 5
‑
3
‑
205;

(x)

For docketing and in payment of clerk's fee after docketing incident to any appeal or bill of exception from a circuit court,
eighty
‑
five dollars ($85.00)
one hundred dollars ($100.00)
, and for docketing any transcript of judgment from a circuit court upon the judgment and execution dockets,
eighty
‑
five dollars ($85.00)
one hundred dollars ($100.00)
, which amount shall be paid by appellant, or by judgment holder to the clerk at time of docketing.
Twenty
‑
five dollars ($25.00)
Forty dollars ($40.00)
of any fee imposed under this paragraph shall be for court automation, ten dollars ($10.00) shall be for indigent civil legal services and both shall be remitted as provided in W.S. 5
‑
3
‑
205.

5
‑
6
‑
108.

Costs.

(a)

Each city or town in the state of Wyoming may prescribe by ordinance such costs in all trials before municipal courts as may be necessary or deemed expedient. However, the costs shall not exceed ten dollars ($10.00). All costs collected shall be turned into the treasury of the city or town. By ordinance a city or town may prescribe:

(i)

A court automation fee of
twenty
‑
five dollars ($25.00)
forty dollars ($40.00)
as a cost to be paid by every person guilty of a violation of a city or town ordinance;

5
‑
9
‑
135.

Filing fee.

For all civil matters the circuit court shall collect from the plaintiff an original filing fee of twenty dollars ($20.00), a court automation fee of
twenty
‑
five dollars ($25.00)
forty dollars ($40.00)
, and an indigent civil
legal services fee of ten dollars ($10.00) excluding small claims civil actions as provided in W.S. 1
‑
21
‑
201 through 1
‑
21
‑
205 which shall have a filing fee of ten dollars ($10.00). The court automation fee shall be deposited into the judicial systems automation account and the indigent civil legal services fee shall be deposited into the indigent civil legal services account as provided by W.S. 5
‑
9
‑
144.

5
‑
13
‑
202.

Collection of fees.

The clerk of the chancery court shall collect all fees and charges as required and set by the supreme court under W.S. 5
‑
13
‑
104(b). At the time of the original filing, the clerk also shall collect a court automation fee in the amount of
twenty
‑
five dollars ($25.00)
one hundred dollars ($100.00)
which shall be deposited into the judicial systems automation account established by W.S. 5
‑
2
‑
120, and an indigent civil legal services fee in the amount of ten dollars ($10.00) which shall be deposited into the indigent civil legal services account established by W.S. 5
‑
2
‑
121.

6
‑
10
‑
102.

Imposition of fine for any felony; maximum fine where not established by statute; court automation fee; indigent civil legal services fee.

The court may impose a fine as part of the punishment for any felony. If the statute does not establish a maximum fine, the fine shall be not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00). The court shall impose a court automation fee of
twenty
‑
five dollars ($25.00)
forty dollars ($40.00)
in every criminal case wherein the defendant is found guilty, enters a plea of guilty or no contest or is placed on probation under W.S. 7
‑
13
‑
301. The fee shall be remitted as provided by W.S. 5
‑
3
‑
205. In addition to the court
automation fee the court shall impose an indigent civil legal services fee of ten dollars ($10.00) in every criminal case wherein the defendant is found guilty, enters a plea of guilty or no contest or is placed on probation under W.S. 7
‑
13
‑
301 or 35
‑
7
‑
1037. The indigent civil legal services fee shall be remitted as provided in W.S. 5
‑
3
‑
205(a)(ii).

6
‑
10
‑
103.

Penalties for misdemeanors where not prescribed by statute; court automation fee; indigent civil legal services fee.

Unless a different penalty is prescribed by law, every crime declared to be a misdemeanor is punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six (6) months, a fine of not more than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), or both. The court shall impose a court automation fee of
twenty
‑
five dollars ($25.00)
forty dollars ($40.00)
in every criminal case wherein the defendant is found guilty, enters a plea of guilty or no contest or is placed on probation under W.S. 7
‑
13
‑
301. The fee shall be remitted as provided by W.S. 5
‑
3
‑
205. In addition to the court automation fee the court shall impose an indigent civil legal services fee of ten dollars ($10.00) in every criminal case wherein the defendant is found guilty, enters a plea of guilty or no contest or is placed on probation under W.S. 7
‑
13
‑
301. The indigent civil legal services fee shall be remitted as provided in W.S. 5
‑
3
‑
205(a)(ii).

Section 2
.

This act is effective July 1, 2020
.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.

Chief Clerk

1