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Bill

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Measure

SB 54

Authors

Umberg
Coauthors: Richardson

Subject

Court fee waivers: veterans.

Relating To

relating to courts.

Title

An act to amend Section 68632 of the Government Code, relating to courts.

Last Action Dt

2025-10-11

State

Chaptered

Status

Chaptered

Active?

Vote Required

Majority

Appropriation

Fiscal Committee

Yes

Local Program

Substantive Changes

None

Urgency

Tax Levy

Leginfo Link

Bill

Actions

2025-10-11		Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 646, Statutes of 2025.
2025-10-11		Approved by the Governor.
2025-09-16		Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.
2025-09-08		In Senate. Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
2025-09-08		Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 2989.) Ordered to the Senate.
2025-09-02		Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-08-29		Coauthors revised.
2025-08-29		From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (August 29).
2025-08-20		August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-07-16		From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (July 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-06-17		From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on M. & V.A. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (June 17). Re-referred to Com. on M. & V.A.
2025-06-05		Referred to Coms. on JUD. and M. & V.A.
2025-05-29		Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 1322.) Ordered to the Assembly.
2025-05-29		In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
2025-05-27		Ordered to special consent calendar.
2025-05-23		From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 1189.) (May 23).
2025-05-23		Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-05-16		Set for hearing May 23.
2025-05-12		May 12 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-05-02		Set for hearing May 12.
2025-04-29		From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 4. Noes 0. Page 918.) (April 28). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-04-17		Set for hearing April 28.
2025-04-09		From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on M. & V.A. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 13. Noes 0. Page 705.) (April 8). Re-referred to Com. on M. & V.A.
2025-04-01		Set for hearing April 8.
2025-01-29		Referred to Coms. on JUD. and M. & V.A.
2025-01-08		From printer. May be acted upon on or after February 7.
2025-01-07		Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Keywords

Tags

Versions

Chaptered		2025-10-11
Enrolled		2025-09-10
Introduced		2025-01-07

Last Version Text

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		<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Senator Umberg</ns0:AuthorText>
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		<ns0:Title> An act to amend Section 68632 of the Government Code, relating to courts. </ns0:Title>
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			<html:p>This bill would prohibit veterans disability service-connected compensation from being included in monthly income for purposes of that provision.</html:p>
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		<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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			<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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				Section 68632 of the 
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							<html:p>Permission to proceed without paying court fees and costs because of an applicant’s financial condition shall be granted initially to all of the following persons:</html:p>
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								(a)
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								An applicant who is receiving public benefits under one or more of the following programs:
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								(1)
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								Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and State Supplementary Payment (SSP) (Article 5 (commencing with Section 12200) of Chapter 3 of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code).
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								(2)
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								California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids Act (CalWORKs) (Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 11200) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code) or a federal Tribal Temporary
				  Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF) grant program (Section 10553.25 of the Welfare and Institutions Code).
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								(3)
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								Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Chapter 51 (commencing with Section 2011) of Title 7 of the United States Code) or the California Food Assistance Program (Chapter 10.1 (commencing with Section 18930) of Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code).
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								(4)
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								County Relief, General Relief (GR), or General Assistance (GA) (Part 5 (commencing with Section 17000) of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code).
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								(5)
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								Cash Assistance Program for Aged, Blind, and Disabled Legal Immigrants (CAPI) (Chapter 10.3 (commencing with Section 18937) of Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code).
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								(6)
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								In-Home
				  Supportive Services (IHSS) (Article 7 (commencing with Section 12300) of Chapter 3 of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code).
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								(7)
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								Medi-Cal (Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code).
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								(8)
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								California Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC Program) (Article 2 (commencing with Section 123275) of Chapter 1 of Part 2 of Division 106 of the Health and Safety Code).
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								(9)
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								Unemployment compensation (Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 1251) of Part 1 of Division 1 of the Unemployment Insurance Code).
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								(b)
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								(1)
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								An applicant whose monthly income is 200 percent or less of the current poverty guidelines updated periodically in the
				  Federal Register by the United States Department of Health and Human Services under the authority of paragraph (2) of Section 9902 of Title 42 of the United States Code or a successor statute or regulation.
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								(2)
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								The Judicial Council shall annually publish a table establishing the threshold monthly household income for a fee waiver pursuant to paragraph (1) that is adjusted for household family size to be used with form FW-001.
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								(3)
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								Monthly income for purposes of paragraph (1) shall not include veterans disability service-connected compensation.
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								(c)
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								An applicant who, as individually determined by the court, cannot pay court fees without using moneys that normally would pay for the common necessaries of life for
				  the applicant and the applicant’s family. Only if a trial court finds that an applicant under this subdivision can pay a portion of court fees, or can pay court fees over a period of time, or under some other equitable arrangement, without using moneys that normally would pay for the common necessaries of life for the applicant and the applicant’s family, the court may grant a partial initial fee waiver using the notice and hearing procedures set forth in paragraph (5) of subdivision (e) of Section 68634. “Common necessaries of life,” as used in this article, shall be interpreted consistently with the use of that term in paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 706.051 of the Code of Civil Procedure, as that paragraph read prior to January 1, 2012.
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								(d)
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								A person who files a petition for appointment of a fiduciary in a guardianship or conservatorship, or files pleadings as the appointed fiduciary of a conservatee or ward, when the financial
				  condition of the conservatee or ward meets the standards for a fee waiver pursuant to subdivision (a), (b), or (c).
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Last Version Text Digest

Existing law sets forth filing fees and other civil fees for superior courts. Existing law requires certain applicants to be granted initial permission to proceed without paying court fees and costs because of the applicant’s financial condition, including an applicant whose monthly income is 200% or less of the current poverty guidelines, as specified. This bill would prohibit veterans disability service-connected compensation from being included in monthly income for purposes of that provision.