AB 199 Summary

• Reduces civil assessment for failure to appear or pay fines from $300 to $100 effective July 1, 2022, with revenues deposited to the General Fund instead of the Trial Court Trust Fund.

• Voids uncollectible balances of court-imposed civil assessments imposed prior to July 1, 2022, and vacates any judgments imposing those assessments.

• Establishes a methodology for distributing $50,000,000 annually to counties to backfill lost revenue from repealed criminal justice fees, based 50% on adult population, 25% on felony/misdemeanor arrests, and 25% on felony/misdemeanor filings.

• Prohibits work furlough and electronic home detention programs from imposing administrative or application fees, and expands fee waiver eligibility to include those earning up to 200% of federal poverty guidelines and recipients of WIC or unemployment benefits.

• Expands remote appearance options for misdemeanor and felony proceedings through January 1, 2024, allows trials by declaration for infractions through online tools, and prohibits court retaliation against court reporters for reporting technology issues.