HB 1284-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2000 SESSION
HOUSE BILL 1284-FN
AN ACT prohibiting the courts from charging fees.
SPONSORS: Rep. Marple, Merr 11
This bill prohibits state courts from charging fees for services, filings, and copies.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
00-2186
09/10
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand
AN ACT prohibiting the courts from charging fees.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Court Fees Prohibited. RSA 490:26-a is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:
490:26-a Court Fees Prohibited. No court shall charge a fee for any service, filing, or copy. This prohibition codifies the same prohibition now enumerated in part 1, article 14 of the bill of rights of the New Hampshire constitution.
2 Repeal. The following are repealed:
I. RSA 490:26-c, relative to the escrow fund for court facility improvements.
II. RSA 490:27, relative to probate court fees.
III. RSA 499:18, relative to superior court fees.
IV. RSA 502-A:28, relative to district court fees.
V. RSA 623-B:2, relative to filing fees and court costs in civil actions by inmates.
3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2001.
LBAO
00-2186
11/23/99
HB 1284-FN - FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT prohibiting the courts from charging fees.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) determined this bill will decrease state general fund revenue by $2,150,000 in FY 2001, and by $4,300,000 in FY 2002 and each year thereafter. State restricted revenue will decrease by $250,000 in FY 2001, and by $500,000 in FY 2002 and each year thereafter. There will be no fiscal impact on county and local revenue or state, county and local expenditures.
METHODOLOGY:
The AOC states this bill is effective January 1, 2001 and prohibits the state courts from charging fees for services, filings, and copies. Based on actual revenue for FY 1999, the AOC estimates this would reduce total state revenue annually by $4,800,000, or $2,400,000 for six months. The AOC assumed filings and services would remain constant over the next three fiscal years. The AOC noted there are other types of fees collected through the courts for services, such as preparation of transcripts, and fees for the publication of legal notices. These fees are not retained by the state, they are paid to the providers of the service. If parties were not required to pay for these outside services, the cost would be borne by the state and would increase state general fund expenditures. The amount of this increase cannot be determined.