House Bill 1205 Summary

• Adds a $0.25 assessment to criminal violations (traffic, implied consent, game/fish, misdemeanors, and felonies) to be deposited into the Civil Legal Assistance Fund, effective July 1, 2014.

• Updates the Civil Legal Assistance Fund definition to specify it receives funding from Sections 25-7-9, 25-7-13, 27-19-56.99, 27-19-56.135, and 99-19-73, plus other legislative appropriations.

• Establishes a $5.00 filing fee for each civil case filed in chancery court and circuit court to be deposited into the Civil Legal Assistance Fund.

• Creates distinctive license plate programs that direct $24.00 of each $30.00 annual fee to the Civil Legal Assistance Fund, including plates for civil legal assistance supporters and for Mississippi Bar members.

• Fund allocates all money exclusively to legal services organizations serving low-income Mississippians, distributed based on poverty population percentages within service areas.