SB 199 Summary

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

• Expands fee waiver eligibility to include applicants with monthly income up to 200% of poverty guidelines (previously 125%), plus those receiving WIC or unemployment compensation.

• Allows remote participation in criminal proceedings until January 1, 2024 for misdemeanor defendants in all proceedings except jury/court trials, and for felony defendants in non-critical proceedings with specified exceptions.

• Establishes methodology for Director of Finance to allocate $25-50 million annual backfill to counties based on adult population (50%), felony/misdemeanor arrests (25%), and case filings (25%) to offset repealed criminal justice fees.

• Prohibits work furlough and electronic home detention programs from imposing administrative or application fees, applies to both county-operated and privately-operated programs.