HB 1188 -- CRIMINAL CASE FEES

SPONSOR:  Lipke (157)

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass by consent" by the Committee on
Judiciary by a vote of 17 to 0.

This bill clarifies that various costs assessed in criminal cases
must also be assessed in those cases in which a defendant pleads
guilty.  Many of the existing statutes use the term "convicted,"
creating an ambiguity as to whether costs are to be assessed in
cases where the court grants a suspended imposition of sentence
and the defendant's record is expunged upon successful completion
of a probationary period.

The bill also amends the list of misdemeanor offenses for which a
$10 fee is assessed for the Crime Victims' Compensation Fund.
Current law lists 14 chapters of law for which the fee is
assessed.  The bill changes this to all misdemeanors, except for
driving offenses, watercraft regulations, and fish and game
offenses.

FISCAL NOTE:  No impact on General Revenue Fund in FY 2005, FY
2006, and FY 2007.  Estimated Net Income of More than $100,000 in
FY 2005, FY 2006, and FY 2007.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that the bill clarifies and makes
court costs in criminal cases uniform.

Testifying for the bill were Representative Lipke (157); Office
of State Courts Administrator; and Missouri Association of
Counties.

OPPONENTS:  There was no opposition voiced to the committee.

Julie Jinkens McNitt, Legislative Analyst

Missouri House of Representatives
92nd General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated September 23, 2004 at 11:14 am