Senate Bill 333 proposes significant changes to various court fees and surcharges in Wisconsin. The bill aims to increase fees collected by clerks of court, municipal judges, and registers in probate, as well as fees paid to witnesses, interpreters, and other court-related personnel. Notably, the bill sets new fee amounts, such as increasing the filing fee for criminal actions from $163 to $239, and the fee for civil actions from $75 to $190. Additionally, the bill introduces a mechanism for indexing these fees for inflation every five years, ensuring that they remain aligned with the U.S. consumer price index.

The bill also modifies the distribution of collected fees, allowing counties to retain additional amounts generated from the increased fees for their own use, rather than remitting a larger portion to the state. Specific deletions from current law include the removal of certain fee structures, while new definitions and provisions are created to clarify the adjustments and indexing process. Overall, this legislation seeks to modernize and increase the financial resources available to the court system while providing counties with greater financial autonomy.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 59.32(1), 59.32, 814.60(1), 814.60, 814.61(1)(a), 814.61, 814.61(1)(b), 814.61(3), 814.61(4), 814.61(5)(am)(intro.), 814.61(6), 814.61(7)(a), 814.61(7)(b), 814.61(9), 814.61(11), 814.61(12)(a)1, 814.61(12)(c), 814.61(13), 814.61(13m), 814.61(14), 814.615(1)(a)2, 814.615