SENATE BILL No. 1322

 

 

June 20, 2006, Introduced by Senators GEORGE, HAMMERSTROM, KUIPERS and GOSCHKA and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1961 PA 236, entitled

 

"Revised judicature act of 1961,"

 

by amending sections 1344, 2529, and 8371 (MCL 600.1344, 600.2529,

 

and 600.8371), section 1344 as amended by 2002 PA 739, section 2529

 

as amended by 2004 PA 205, and section 8371 as amended by 2005 PA

 

151.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 1344. (1) A juror shall be reimbursed for his or her

 

traveling expenses at a rate, determined by the county board of

 

commissioners, that is not less than 10 cents per mile for

 

traveling from the juror's residence to the place of holding court

 

and returning for each day or 1/2 day of actual attendance at

 

sessions of the court.

 


     (2) A juror also shall be compensated at a rate, determined by

 

the county board of commissioners, as follows:

 

     (a) Until October 1, 2003, not less than $15.00 per day and

 

$7.50 per 1/2 day of actual attendance at the court.

 

     (a)  (b) Beginning October 1, 2003  Until October 1, 2006, a

 

rate determined as follows:

 

     (i) For the first day or 1/2 day of actual attendance at the

 

court, not less than $25.00 per day and $12.50 per 1/2 day.

 

     (ii) For each subsequent day or 1/2 day of actual attendance at

 

the court, not less than $40.00 per day and $20.00 per 1/2 day.

 

     (b) Beginning October 1, 2006, a rate determined as follows:

 

     (i) For the first day or 1/2 day of actual attendance at the

 

court, not less than $30.00 per day and $15.00 per 1/2 day.

 

     (ii) For each subsequent day or 1/2 day of actual attendance at

 

the court, not less than $60.00 per day and $30.00 per 1/2 day.

 

     (3) If an action is removed from the circuit court to a lower

 

court, the jury fee shall be paid to the circuit court whether paid

 

before or after removal of the action to the lower court, and the

 

circuit court shall be responsible for payment of the compensation

 

to the juror involved.

 

     (4) A clerk or deputy clerk of the court who fraudulently

 

issues a certificate of attendance of a juror on which the juror

 

receives pay, except as allowed by law, is guilty of a misdemeanor,

 

punishable by imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or a fine of

 

not more than $500.00, or both.

 

     Sec. 2529. (1) In the circuit court, the following fees shall

 

be paid to the clerk of the court:

 


     (a) Before a civil action other than an action brought

 

exclusively under section 2950, 2950a, or 2950h to 2950m is

 

commenced, or before the filing of an application for

 

superintending control or for an extraordinary writ, except the

 

writ of habeas corpus, the party bringing the action or filing the

 

application shall pay the sum of  $150.00  $350.00. The clerk at

 

the end of each month shall transmit for each fee collected under

 

this subdivision within the month $31.00 to the county treasurer,

 

$200.00 to the state treasurer for deposit in the juror

 

compensation reimbursement fund created in section 151d, and the

 

balance of the filing fee to the state treasurer for deposit in the

 

civil filing fee fund created in section 171.

 

     (b) Before the filing of a claim of appeal or motion for leave

 

to appeal from the district court, probate court, a municipal

 

court, or an administrative tribunal or agency, the sum of $150.00.

 

For each fee collected under this subdivision, the clerk shall

 

transmit $31.00 to the county treasurer and the balance of the fee

 

to the state treasurer for deposit in the civil filing fee fund

 

created in section 171.

 

     (c) If a trial by jury is demanded, the party making the

 

demand at the time shall pay the sum of $85.00. Failure to pay the

 

fee at the time the demand is made constitutes a waiver of the

 

right to a jury trial. The sum shall be taxed in favor of the party

 

paying the fee, in case the party recovers a judgment for costs.

 

For each fee collected under this subdivision, the clerk shall

 

transmit $25.00 to the state treasurer for deposit in the juror

 

compensation reimbursement fund created in section 151d.

 


     (d) Before entry of a final judgment or order in an action in

 

which the custody, support, or parenting time of minor children is

 

determined or modified, the party submitting the judgment or order

 

shall pay 1 of the following fees, which shall be deposited by the

 

county treasurer as provided in section 2530:

 

     (i) In an action in which the custody or parenting time of

 

minor children is determined, $80.00.

 

     (ii) In an action in which the support of minor children is

 

determined or modified, $40.00. This fee does not apply when a fee

 

is paid under subparagraph (i). The court may order a party to

 

reimburse to the other party all or a portion of the fee paid by

 

that other party.

 

     (e) Except as otherwise provided in this section, upon the

 

filing of a motion the sum of $20.00. In conjunction with an action

 

brought under section 2950 or 2950a, a motion fee shall not be

 

collected for a motion to dismiss the petition, a motion to modify,

 

rescind, or terminate a personal protection order, or a motion to

 

show cause for a violation of a personal protection order. A motion

 

fee shall not be collected for a motion to dismiss a proceeding to

 

enforce a foreign protection order or a motion to show cause for a

 

violation of a foreign protection order under sections 2950h to

 

2950m. A motion fee shall not be collected for a request for a

 

hearing to contest income withholding under section 7 of the

 

support and parenting time enforcement act, 1982 PA 295, MCL

 

552.607. For each fee collected under this subdivision, the clerk

 

shall transmit $10.00 to the state treasurer for deposit in the

 

state court fund created by section 151a.

 


     (f) For services under the direction of the court that are not

 

specifically provided for in this section relative to the receipt,

 

safekeeping, or expending of money, or the purchasing, taking, or

 

transferring of a security, or the collecting of interest on a

 

security, the clerk shall receive the allowance and compensation

 

from the parties as the court may consider just and shall direct by

 

court order, after notice to the parties to be charged.

 

     (g) Upon appeal to the court of appeals or the supreme court,

 

the sum of $25.00.

 

     (h) The sum of $15.00 as a service fee for each writ of

 

garnishment, attachment, execution, or judgment debtor discovery

 

subpoena issued.

 

     (2) The sums paid as provided in this section shall be held to

 

be in full for all clerk, entry, and judgment fees in an action

 

from the commencement of the action to and including the issuance

 

and return of the execution or other final process, and are taxable

 

as costs.

 

     (3) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the fees

 

shall be paid over to the county treasurer as required by law.

 

     (4) At the end of each month, the clerk shall transmit for

 

each fee collected under subsection (1)(d) $10.00 to the state

 

treasurer for deposit in the child support bench warrant

 

enforcement fund created by section 6a of the office of child

 

support act, 1971 PA 174, MCL 400.236a. The balance of the fee

 

collected under subsection (1)(d)(i) shall be paid to the county

 

treasurer and deposited by the county treasurer as provided under

 

section 2530 to be used to fund services that are not title IV-D

 


services. The balance of the fee collected under subsection

 

(1)(d)(ii) shall be paid to the county treasurer and deposited by

 

the county treasurer as provided under section 2530.

 

     (5) The court shall order any of the fees prescribed in this

 

section waived or suspended, in whole or in part, upon a showing by

 

affidavit of indigency or inability to pay.

 

     (6) If the person filing an action under subsection (1)(d) is

 

a public officer acting in his or her official capacity, if the

 

order is submitted with the initial filing as a consent order, or

 

other good cause is shown, the court shall order the fee under

 

subsection (1)(d) waived or suspended. If a fee is waived or

 

suspended and the action is contested, the court may require that 1

 

or more of the parties to the action pay the fee under subsection

 

(1)(d).

 

     Sec. 8371. (1) In the district court, the fees prescribed in

 

this section shall be paid to the clerk of the court.

 

     (2) Before a civil action is commenced in the district court,

 

the party commencing the action shall pay to the clerk the sum of  

 

$150.00  $200.00 if the amount in controversy exceeds $10,000.00.

 

For each fee collected under this subsection, the clerk shall

 

transmit $31.00 to the treasurer of the district funding unit in

 

which the action was commenced, $50.00 to the state treasurer for

 

deposit in the juror compensation reimbursement fund created in

 

section 151d, and  shall transmit  the balance to the state

 

treasurer for deposit in the civil filing fee fund created by

 

section 171.

 

     (3) Before a civil action is commenced in the district court,

 


the party commencing the action shall pay to the clerk the sum of  

 

$65.00  $100.00 if the amount in controversy exceeds  $1,750.00 

 

$5,000.00 but does not exceed $10,000.00. For each fee collected

 

under this subsection, the clerk shall transmit $23.00 to the

 

treasurer of the district funding unit in which the action was

 

commenced, of which not less than $5.00 shall be used by the

 

district funding unit to fund a drug treatment court if one is

 

planned, established, or operated in that judicial district. If the

 

entire amount attributable to the $5.00 portion is not needed for

 

the operation of a drug treatment court, the balance that is not

 

needed for that purpose shall be used for the operation of the

 

district court. If a drug treatment court is not planned,

 

established, or operated in that judicial district, all $23.00

 

shall be used for the operation of the district court.  The  Of the

 

amount remaining, the clerk of the district court shall transmit

 

$35.00 to the state treasurer for deposit in the juror compensation

 

reimbursement fund created in section 151d, and the balance of the

 

filing fee to the state treasurer for deposit in the civil filing

 

fee fund created by section 171.

 

     (4) Before a civil action is commenced in the district court,

 

the party commencing the action shall pay to the clerk the sum of  

 

$45.00  $50.00 if the amount in controversy exceeds $600.00 but

 

does not exceed  $1,750.00  $5,000.00. For each fee collected under

 

this subsection, the clerk shall transmit $17.00 to the treasurer

 

of the district funding unit in which the action was commenced, of

 

which not less than $5.00 shall be used by the district funding

 

unit to fund a drug treatment court if one is planned, established,

 


or operated in that judicial district. If the entire amount

 

attributable to the $5.00 portion is not needed for the operation

 

of a drug treatment court, the balance that is not needed for that

 

purpose shall be used for the operation of the district court. If a

 

drug treatment court is not planned, established, or operated in

 

that judicial district, all $17.00 shall be used for the operation

 

of the district court.  The  Of the amount remaining, the clerk of

 

the district court shall transmit $5.00 to the state treasurer for

 

deposit in the juror compensation reimbursement fund created in

 

section 151d, and the balance of the filing fee to the state

 

treasurer for deposit in the civil filing fee fund created by

 

section 171.

 

     (5) Before a civil action is commenced in the district court,

 

the party commencing the action shall pay to the clerk the sum of

 

$25.00 if the amount in controversy does not exceed $600.00. For

 

each fee collected under this subsection, the clerk shall transmit

 

$11.00 to the treasurer of the district funding unit in which the

 

action was commenced, of which not less than $5.00 shall be used by

 

the district funding unit to fund a drug treatment court if one is

 

planned, established, or operated in that judicial district. If the

 

entire amount attributable to the $5.00 portion is not needed for

 

the operation of a drug treatment court, the balance that is not

 

needed for that purpose shall be used for the operation of the

 

district court. If a drug treatment court is not planned,

 

established, or operated in that judicial district, all $11.00

 

shall be used for the operation of the district court. The clerk of

 

the district court shall transmit the balance of the filing fee to

 


the state treasurer for deposit in the civil filing fee fund

 

created by section 171.

 

     (6) The judge shall order payment of any statutory fees waived

 

or suspended if the person subject to the fee is receiving public

 

assistance or is determined by the court to be indigent.

 

     (7) Neither this state nor a political subdivision of this

 

state shall be required to pay a filing fee in a civil infraction

 

action.

 

     (8) Except for civil actions filed for relief under chapter

 

43, 57, or 84, if a civil action is filed for relief other than

 

money damages, the filing fee shall be equal to the filing fee in

 

actions for money damages in excess of $1,750.00 but not in excess

 

of $10,000.00 as provided in subsection (3) and shall be

 

transmitted in the same manner as a fee under subsection (3) is

 

transmitted. If a claim for money damages is joined with a claim

 

for relief other than money damages, the plaintiff shall pay a

 

supplemental filing fee in the same amount as required under

 

subsections (2) to (5).

 

     (9) If a trial by jury is demanded, the party making the

 

demand at the time shall pay the sum of $50.00. Failure to pay the

 

fee at the time the demand is made constitutes a waiver of the

 

right to a jury trial. The sum shall be taxed in favor of the party

 

paying the fee, in case the party recovers a judgment for costs.

 

For each fee collected under this subsection, the clerk shall

 

transmit $10.00 to the state treasurer for deposit in the juror

 

compensation reimbursement fund created in section 151d.

 

     (10) A sum of $20.00 shall be assessed for all motions filed

 


in a civil action. A motion fee shall not be assessed in a civil

 

infraction action. For each fee collected under this subsection,

 

the clerk shall transmit $10.00 to the state treasurer for deposit

 

in the state court fund created in section 151a and the balance

 

shall be transmitted to the treasurer of the district funding unit

 

for the district court in the district in which the action was

 

commenced.