| 1 | 1 | | Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law. |
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| 2 | 2 | | *CEB118* 04/04/2025 10:00:40 AM CEB118 |
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| 3 | 3 | | State of Arkansas 1 |
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| 4 | 4 | | 95th General Assembly A Bill 2 |
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| 5 | 5 | | Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 628 3 |
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| 6 | 6 | | 4 |
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| 7 | 7 | | By: Senators Gilmore, B. Davis 5 |
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| 8 | 8 | | 6 |
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| 9 | 9 | | 7 |
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| 10 | 10 | | For An Act To Be Entitled 8 |
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| 11 | 11 | | AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING COURT TRANSCRIPT 9 |
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| 12 | 12 | | FEES; TO INCREASE THE TRANSCRIPT FEES TO WHICH A 10 |
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| 13 | 13 | | COURT REPORTER IS ENTITLED; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 11 |
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| 14 | 14 | | 12 |
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| 15 | 15 | | 13 |
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| 16 | 16 | | Subtitle 14 |
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| 17 | 17 | | TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING COURT 15 |
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| 18 | 18 | | TRANSCRIPT FEES; AND TO INCREASE THE 16 |
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| 19 | 19 | | TRANSCRIPT FEES TO WHICH A COURT 17 |
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| 20 | 20 | | REPORTER IS ENTITLED. 18 |
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| 21 | 21 | | 19 |
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| 22 | 22 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 20 |
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| 23 | 23 | | 21 |
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| 24 | 24 | | SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 16 -13-506 is amended to read as follows: 22 |
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| 25 | 25 | | 16-13-506. Court reporters — Transcript fees. 23 |
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| 26 | 26 | | (a)(1) When required to make a transcript of court proceedings, each 24 |
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| 27 | 27 | | court reporter of the circuit courts shall be entitled to compensation at the 25 |
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| 28 | 28 | | rate of four dollars and ten cents ($4.10) eight dollars ($8.00) per page for 26 |
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| 29 | 29 | | the original and two (2) copies and at the rate of fifty cents (50¢) one 27 |
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| 30 | 30 | | dollar ($1.00) per page for each additional copy. 28 |
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| 31 | 31 | | (2) When required to prepare photocopied evidence as part of a 29 |
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| 32 | 32 | | transcript, each court reporter shall be entitled to compensation at the rate 30 |
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| 33 | 33 | | of one dollar and fifty cents ($1.50) two dollars and fifty cents ($2.50) per 31 |
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| 34 | 34 | | page for an original and two (2) copies and at the rate of fifty cents (50¢) 32 |
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| 35 | 35 | | one dollar ($1.00) per page for each additional copy thereafter, with the 33 |
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| 36 | 36 | | cost to be paid by the parties ordering transcripts. 34 |
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| 37 | 37 | | (3) The circuit court judge in which the court proceeding 35 |
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| 38 | 38 | | occurred is exempt from this section The official court reporter for a 36 SB628 |
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| 39 | 39 | | |
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| 40 | 40 | | 2 04/04/2025 10:00:40 AM CEB118 |
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| 41 | 41 | | circuit judge who maintains a criminal docket is entitled to one hundred 1 |
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| 42 | 42 | | fifty percent (150%) of the compensation provided in subdivisions (a)(1) and 2 |
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| 43 | 43 | | (a)(2) of this section when producing a record of criminal proceedings for 3 |
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| 44 | 44 | | the circuit judge. 4 |
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| 45 | 45 | | (4)(A) If the circuit court judge utilized a substitute official 5 |
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| 46 | 46 | | court reporter under § 16 -13-509 for a court proceeding that the circuit 6 |
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| 47 | 47 | | court judge later determines requires a transcript, the substitute official 7 |
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| 48 | 48 | | court reporter shall receive additional compensation for producing the 8 |
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| 49 | 49 | | transcript for the circuit court judge. 9 |
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| 50 | 50 | | (B) The Trial Employees Committee of the Arkansas Judicial 10 |
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| 51 | 51 | | Council, Inc., shall develop a policy that shall be implemented by the 11 |
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| 52 | 52 | | Administrative Office of the Courts to ensure fair compensation for a 12 |
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| 53 | 53 | | substitute official court reporter who is required to produce a transcript 13 |
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| 54 | 54 | | for a circuit court judge. 14 |
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| 55 | 55 | | (b)(1)(A) In indigent and in forma pauperis proceedings, the 15 |
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| 56 | 56 | | compensation to the court reporter for transcripts provided for in subsection 16 |
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| 57 | 57 | | (a) of this section shall be paid by the State of Arkansas. 17 |
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| 58 | 58 | | (B) However, in In such proceedings, the court reporters 18 |
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| 59 | 59 | | shall be entitled to compensation from the state only for the original and 19 |
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| 60 | 60 | | two (2) copies of the transcript. 20 |
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| 61 | 61 | | (C) If additional persons request copies of the 21 |
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| 62 | 62 | | transcript, the court reporter shall be entitled to payment from the persons 22 |
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| 63 | 63 | | requesting the copies at the rate specified in subsection (a) of this 23 |
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| 64 | 64 | | section. 24 |
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| 65 | 65 | | (2) The payments from the state shall be made only upon 25 |
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| 66 | 66 | | certification of the payments by the presiding circuit judge and shall be 26 |
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| 67 | 67 | | paid by the Administrative Office of the Courts from funds appropriated out 27 |
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| 68 | 68 | | of the Court Reporter's Fund. 28 |
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| 69 | 69 | | (c) When the state is required to pay the court reporter for the cost 29 |
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| 70 | 70 | | of the preparation of a transcript, § 16 -13-510 applies and the state shall 30 |
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| 71 | 71 | | comply with a court reporter's request for the payment of a deposit under § 31 |
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| 72 | 72 | | 16-13-510(c)(1). 32 |
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| 76 | 76 | | 36 |
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