Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 575 3
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By: Senator C. Tucker 5
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING INSTALLMENT FEES 9
COLLECTED IN CIRCUIT AND DISTRICT COURTS; TO CREATE 10
THE JUSTICE SYSTEM FEE TASK FORCE; AND FOR OTHER 11
PURPOSES. 12
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Subtitle 15
TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING INSTALLMENT 16
FEES COLLECTED IN CIRCUIT AND DISTRICT 17
COURTS; AND TO CREATE THE JUSTICE SYSTEM 18
FEE TASK FORCE. 19
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 21
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SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 16 -13-704(b)(2)(A)(i), as amended by Acts 23
2025, No. 371, concerning the installment fee collected in circuit court, is 24
amended to read as follows: 25
(2)(A)(i) One-half (½) of the installment fee collected in 26
circuit court shall be remitted by the tenth day of each month to the 27
Administration of Justice Funds Section of the Office of Administrative 28
Services of the Department of Finance and Administration, on a form provided 29
by the Office of Administrative Services, for deposit into the Judicial Fine 30
Collection Enhancement Fund established by § 16 -13-712 into the State 31
Treasury, and the Treasurer of State shall credit that portion of the 32
installment fee as general revenue to the various funds in the respective 33
amounts to each to be used for the purposes provided in the Revenue 34
Stabilization Law, § 19 -5-101 et seq. 35
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SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 16 -13-704(b)(3)(A), as amended by Acts 1
2025, No. 371, concerning the installment fee collected in district court, is 2
amended to read as follows: 3
(3)(A) One-half (½) of the installment fee collected in district 4
court shall be remitted by the tenth day of each month to the Administration 5
of Justice Funds Section, on a form provided by that section, for deposit 6
into the Judicial Fine Collection Enhancement Fund established by § 16 -13-712 7
into the State Treasury as general revenue and the Treasurer of State shall 8
credit that portion of the installment fee to the various funds in the 9
respective amounts to each to be used for the purposes provided in the 10
Revenue Stabilization Law, § 19 -5-101 et seq. 11
12
SECTION 3. Arkansas Code § 16 -13-704(b)(3)(E)(ii), as amended by Acts 13
2025, No. 371, concerning the additional installment fee collected in 14
district court, is amended to read as follows: 15
(ii) In district court only, an installment fee of 16
an additional five dollars ($5.00) per month shall also be assessed on the 17
first day of each month on each person who is ordered to pay a fine on an 18
installment basis with the additional five dollars ($5.00) to be remitted by 19
the tenth day of each month to the Administration of Justice Funds Section on 20
a form provided by that section for deposit into the State Administration of 21
Justice Fund into the State Treasury, and the Treasurer of State shall credit 22
the additional installment fee as general revenue to the various funds in the 23
respective amounts to each to be used for the purposes provided in the 24
Revenue Stabilization Law, § 19 -5-101 et seq. 25
26
SECTION 4. Arkansas Code § 21 -6-416(b) and (c), concerning the court 27
technology fee, as amended by Acts 2025, No. 371, § 13, are amended to read 28
as follows: 29
(b) The court technology fee is as follows: 30
(1) For all civil actions and misdemeanors filed in either the 31
Supreme Court or the Court of Appeals............. $15.00 32
(2) For initiating a cause of action in the civil, domestic 33
relations, or probate division of circuit court, including 34
appeals............. 15.00 35
(3) For initiating a cause of action in the civil or small 36 SB575
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claims division of district court............. 15.00 1
(4) For all criminal and traffic cases, from each defendant upon 2
24 each conviction, each plea of guilty or nolo contendere, or each bond 3
25 forfeiture............. 15.00 . 4
(c)(1) The fee provided under subdivision (b)(1) of this section 5
collected in the Supreme Court or the Court of Appeals shall be remitted by 6
the Clerk of the Supreme Court on or before the fifteenth day of each month 7
to the Administration of Justice Funds Section on a form provided by the 8
Office of Administrative Services for deposit into the Judicial Fine 9
Collection Enhancement Fund established by § 16 -13-712. 10
(2) The fee provided under subdivisions (b)(2)—(4) (b)(2) and 11
(3) of this section collected in circuit court or district court shall be 12
remitted by the county or city official, agency, or department designated 13
under § 16-13-709 as primarily responsible for the collection of fines 14
assessed in circuit court or district court on or before the fifteenth day of 15
each month to the section, on a form provided by the office, for deposit into 16
the Judicial Fine Collection Enhancement Fund established by § 16 -13-712. 17
18
SECTION 5. Arkansas Code § 27 -16-508(b), concerning the driver's 19
license reinstatement fee collected by the Office of Driver Services, is 20
amended to read as follows: 21
(b) The revenues derived from this fee shall be deposited into the 22
State Treasury, as special revenues to the credit of the Division of Arkansas 23
State Police Fund and the Treasurer of State shall credit these revenues as 24
general revenue to the various funds in the respective amounts to each to be 25
used for the purposes provided in the Revenue Stabilization Law , § 19-5-101 26
et seq. 27
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SECTION 6. Arkansas Code § 27 -16-808(b), concerning the driver's 29
license reinstatement fee collected by the Office of Driver Services, is 30
amended to read as follows: 31
(b) All proceeds remitted to the Office of Driver Services under this 32
section shall be deposited as follows: 33
(1) Twenty-five percent (25%) to the State Police Retirement 34
Fund; and 35
(2) Seventy-five percent (75%) to the State Treasury as special 36 SB575
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revenues to the credit of the Division of Arkansas State Police Fund into the 1
State Treasury, and the Treasurer of State shall credit these proceeds as 2
general revenue to the various funds in the respective amounts to each to be 3
used for the purposes provided in the Revenue Stabilization Law, § 19 -5-101 4
et seq. 5
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SECTION 7. DO NOT CODIFY. TEMPORARY LANGUAGE. Justice System Fee 7
Task Force — Findings — Intent — Creation — Membership — Duties. 8
(a)(1) The General Assembly finds that: 9
(A) The justice system in Arkansas imposes an excessive 10
number of fees on individuals charged with or convicted of crimes or 11
otherwise involved in the justice system; 12
(B) The collective impact of these fees on the individuals 13
they are imposed upon substantially inhibits their ability to move forward 14
with their lives in a constructive manner; 15
(C) Many of the fees in the justice system no longer serve 16
a productive purpose; and 17
(D) Altering the structure of or eliminating many of the 18
fees in the justice system would serve the people of Arkansas by reducing 19
recidivism and therefore improving public safety. 20
(2) It is the intent of the General Assembly to: 21
(A) Implement safe policy changes that will improve the 22
effectiveness of the fees in the justice system in a manner that will: 23
(i) Reduce recidivism; 24
(ii) Lower crime across the state; and 25
(iii) Enhance the ability of individuals charged 26
with or convicted of crimes to turn their lives around; and 27
(B) Establish the Justice System Fee Task Force as a 28
mechanism to study the fees in the justice system and make recommendations to 29
the General Assembly regarding the possible alteration or elimination of 30
those fees. 31
(b)(1) There is created the Justice System Fee Task Force. 32
(2) The task force shall consist of the following ten (10) 33
members: 34
(A) Two (2) members appointed by the Governor as follows: 35
(i) One (1) member who is a representative of the 36 SB575
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Arkansas Public Defender Commission; and 1
(ii) One (1) member who is a prosecuting attorney; 2
(B) Two (2) members of the Senate appointed by the 3
President Pro Tempore of the Senate; 4
(C) Two (2) members of the House of Representatives 5
appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; 6
(D) One (1) member who is a staff member of the 7
Administrative Office of the Courts appointed by the Director of the 8
Administrative Office of the Courts; 9
(E) The Secretary of the Department of Corrections or his 10
or her designee; 11
(F) One (1) circuit court judge appointed by the President 12
of the Judicial Council; and 13
(G) One (1) district court judge appointed by the 14
President of the Arkansas District Judges Council, Inc. 15
(3) If a vacancy occurs on the task force, the vacancy shall be 16
filled by the same process as the original appointment. 17
(4)(A) The Senate members appointed by the President Pro Tempore 18
of the Senate under subdivision (b)(2)(B) of this section shall call the 19
first meeting of the task force no later than August 31, 2025. 20
(B) At the first meeting of the task force, the members of 21
the task force shall elect from their membership a chair and other officers 22
as needed for the transaction of the business of the task force. 23
(C) The task force shall meet at least quarterly and shall 24
meet: 25
(i) At the call of the chair; or 26
(ii) Upon the calling of a meeting by a majority of 27
the members of the task force. 28
(5) The task force shall meet at the State Capitol Building or 29
in the legislative committee rooms in the Multi -Agency Complex on the State 30
Capitol grounds. 31
(6) The task force shall adopt rules and procedures for 32
conducting its business. 33
(7) Six (6) members of the task force shall constitute a quorum 34
for transacting business of the task force. 35
(c) The task force shall study and recommend improvements to the 36 SB575
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justice system fees in the State of Arkansas. 1
(d) As part of its study under subsection (c) of this section, the 2
task force shall: 3
(1) Conduct a comprehensive analysis of each fee in the Arkansas 4
justice system, including without limitation: 5
(A) The amount of each fee; 6
(B) The purpose of each fee; 7
(C) The amount of revenue generated by each fee; 8
(D) The programs funded by the revenue generated by each 9
fee; and 10
(E) The efficacy of each fee; 11
(2) Examine the effectiveness of current practices of imposing 12
justice system fees on individuals in Arkansas; and 13
(3) Develop recommendations for the General Assembly for 14
improving the system of imposing justice system fees on individuals. 15
(e)(1) On or before December 1, 2026, the task force shall submit its 16
final report to the: 17
(A) Legislative Council; 18
(B) Governor; and 19
(C) Supreme Court. 20
(2) The final report shall include the task force's activities, 21
findings, and recommendations, including without limitation: 22
(A) Recommendations for improving the system of imposing 23
fees on individuals in the justice system; and 24
(B) The funding necessary to accommodate each 25
recommendation made under subdivision (e)(2)(A) of this section. 26
(f) The task force expires on December 31, 2026. 27
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