SB0544 - Court Clerk Civil Case Fees Summary

• Amends House Bill 4594 to define key terms related to court fees and offenses, including "offense," "business offense," "conservation offense," "drug offense," and "supervision."

• Modifies the Clerks of Courts Act to exempt units of local government and school districts in counties with over 3,000,000 population from advance fee payments; instead requires itemized billing with 30-day payment periods.

• Establishes varying civil case filing fees by county population size and case category (Schedule 1-4), with fees distributed to clerk retention, state accounts, and county treasuries for court operations.

• Specifies that units of local government and school districts are exempt from fees in actions to enforce ordinances, collect debts, or pursue Administrative Review Law cases.

• Allows clerks to add delinquency surcharges of 5-15% on unpaid fees remaining outstanding after 30, 60, and 90 days respectively, with proceeds used for collection costs.