SB 1270 Summary

• Requires indigency applications to offer payment plans or community service options for court-ordered financial obligations, and allows clerks to compare application information against publicly available records and refer fraudulent applications to court.

• Mandates competitive bidding for private collection attorneys or agents, limits collection fees to 40% of amounts owed, and prohibits additional surcharges by clerks or collectors.

• Prohibits driver license suspension solely for failure to pay court fines if person demonstrates inability to pay and meets criteria including unemployment, disability benefits, bankruptcy, payment plans, indigency status, or incarceration.

• Reduces drug offense license suspension/revocation periods from 1 year to 6 months and repeals provisions allowing license suspensions for tobacco/alcohol possession by minors and other minor offenses.

• Allows judges to convert financial obligations to community service based on indigency information and requires traffic citations to inform defendants of payment plan and community service options for noncriminal infractions.