SB 1224 Summary

• Allows judicial performance evaluations to be shared with the Judicial Selection Commission and joint standing committee on judiciary during judge nomination proceedings, effective July 1, 2011.

• Permits electronic delivery of court decisions and orders by mail, facsimile, or other technology with same validity as paper documents, effective October 1, 2011.

• Establishes procedures for the Centralized Infractions Bureau to handle payments and not guilty pleas for minor violations, allowing defendants to negotiate fines with prosecutors without appearing before a judge, effective July 1, 2011.

• Expands victim compensation eligibility to include domestic violence and sexual assault cases where injury is disclosed to healthcare providers or law enforcement, with compensation limits up to $15,000 (or $25,000 for homicide victims), effective October 1, 2011.

• Removes the $100 deductible from victim compensation awards and adds DNA collection requirements for motor vehicle violations carrying sentences over one year, treating them as unclassified felonies, effective October 1, 2011.