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February 14, 2022 HB 22-1229
Legislative Council Staff
Nonpartisan Services for Colorado’s Legislature
Fiscal Note
Drafting Number:
Prime Sponsors:
LLS 22-0542
Rep. Weissman; Soper
Sen. Gardner; Gonzales
Date:
Bill Status:
Fiscal Analyst:
February 14, 2022
House Judiciary
Aaron Carpenter | 303-866-4918
Aaron.Carpenter@state.co.us
Bill Topic: SENATE BILL 21-271 CLEAN-UP
Summary of
Fiscal Impact:
☒ State Revenue
☒ State Expenditure
☐ State Transfer
☒ TABOR Refund
☒ Local Government
☐ Statutory Public Entity
The bill updates the procedures for civil infractions which were created under
SB 21-271. The bill increases state expenditures in FY 2022-23 and may increase
state revenue and decrease local revenue in future fiscal years.
Appropriation
Summary:
For FY 2022-23, the bill requires an appropriation of $124,800 to the Judicial
Department.
Fiscal Note
Status:
The fiscal note reflects the introduced bill.
Table 1
State Fiscal Impacts Under HB 22-1229
Budget Year
FY 2022-23
Out Year
FY 2023-24
Revenue - -
Expenditures General Fund $124,800 -
Transfers - -
Other Budget Impacts General Fund Reserve $18,720 -
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February 14, 2022 HB 22-1229
Summary of Legislation
The bill updates the procedures for civil infractions that were created under Senate Bill 21-271. Under
the bill, a person who has committed a civil infraction may pay the specified penalty and surcharge
in person or by mail to the court.
If the person does not acknowledge guilt, or fails to pay the fine in time, the person must appear in
county court as required in the notice. The bill outlines the procedure that occurs during a civil
infraction case if the case is taken to trial and the procedure that occurs when a minor receives a civil
infraction. The bill also makes conforming amendments to statute.
Background
Senate Bill 21-271 created a process for an individual to pay a civil infraction to the agency issuing the
ticket, rather than the court. Civil infractions are $100, unless otherwise directed by statute.
State Revenue
Starting in FY 2022-23, state revenue will increase from civil infraction fines paid to the courts instead
of another local agency. Because it is unknown how many fines will be paid to the courts that would
have otherwise been collected by a local agency, the exact increase cannot be determined. Fines
collected by the court are subject to the state’s TABOR limit.
State Expenditures
In FY 2022-23 only, state General Fund expenditures will increase by $124,800 in the Judicial
Department. Costs are to update the court’s management system to collect fines from civil infractions
paid to the courts but not issued by a judge. These modifications are estimated to take 1,040 hours at
$120 per hour. See Technical Note.
Other Budget Impacts
General Fund reserve. Under current law, an amount equal to 15 percent of General Fund
appropriations must be set aside in the General Fund statutory reserve beginning in FY 2022-23. Based
on this fiscal note, the bill is expected to increase the amount of General Fund held in reserve as shown
in Table 1, which will decrease the amount of General Fund available for other purposes.
Local Government
To the extent fines are paid to the courts rather than to a local agency, revenue to that local agency
will decrease.
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February 14, 2022 HB 22-1229
Technical Note
The Judicial Department requires approximately six months to make the necessary updates to its
computer systems to implement the bill, which cannot be completed by the bill's September 1, 2022,
effective date.
Effective Date
The bill takes effect March 1, 2022, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date, except that
Section 16-2.3-102, C.R.S., concerning the ability to pay civil infraction assessments takes effect
September 1, 2022.
State Appropriations
For FY 2022-23, the bill requires a General Fund appropriation of $124,800 to the Judicial Department.
State and Local Government Contacts
District Attorneys Judicial Public Safety
The revenue and expenditure impacts in this fiscal note represent changes from current law under the bill for each
fiscal year. For additional information about fiscal notes, please visit: leg.colorado.gov/fiscalnotes.