House Bill No. 195

Introduced By tash



A Bill for an Act entitled: "An Act requiring state agencies to pay a $45 fee to file a warrant of distraint, certificate of lien, or abstract of ADMINISTRATIVE order OR OF FINAL ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER; and amending sections 25-1-201 and 25-10-405, MCA."



Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Montana:



Section 1.  Section 25-1-201, MCA, is amended to read:

"25-1-201.   Fees of clerk of district court. (1) The clerk of the district court shall collect the following fees:

(a)  at the commencement of each action or proceeding, except a petition for dissolution of marriage, from the plaintiff or petitioner, $80; for filing a complaint in intervention, from the intervenor, $80; for filing a petition for dissolution of marriage, a fee of $120; and for filing a petition for legal separation, a fee of $120;

(b)  from each defendant or respondent, on appearance, $60;

(c)  on the entry of judgment, from the prevailing party, $45;

(d)  for preparing copies of papers on file in the clerk's office, 50 cents per page for the first five pages of each file, per request, and 25 cents per additional page;

(e)  for each certificate, with seal, $2;

(f)  for oath and jurat, with seal, $1;

(g)  for search of court records, 50 cents for each year searched, not to exceed a total of $25;

(h)  for filing and docketing a transcript of judgment or transcript of the docket from all other courts, the fee for entry of judgment provided for in subsection (1)(c);

(i)  for issuing an execution or order of sale on a foreclosure of a lien, $5;

(j)  for transmission of records or files or transfer of a case to another court, $5;

(k)  for filing and entering papers received by transfer from other courts, $10;

(l)  for issuing a marriage license, $30;

(m)  on the filing of an application for informal, formal, or supervised probate or for the appointment of a personal representative or the filing of a petition for the appointment of a guardian or conservator, from the applicant or petitioner, $70, which includes the fee for filing a will for probate;

(n)  on the filing of the items required in 72-4-303 by a domiciliary foreign personal representative of the estate of a nonresident decedent, $55;

(o)  for filing a declaration of marriage without solemnization, $30;

(p)  for filing a motion for substitution of a judge, $100;

(q) for filing, by a state agency, a warrant of distraint, certificate of lien, or abstract of ADMINISTRATIVE order OR OF FINAL ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER, $45.

(2)  Except as provided in subsections (3) through (8), 32% of all fees collected by the clerk of the district court must be deposited in and credited to the district court fund. If no a district court fund exists does not exist, that portion of the fees must be deposited in the general fund for district court operations. The remaining portion of the fees must be remitted to the state to be deposited as provided in 19-5-404.

(3)  In the case of a fee collected for issuing a marriage license or filing a declaration of marriage without solemnization, $14 must be deposited in and credited to the state general fund, $6.40 must be deposited in and credited to the county general fund, and $9.60 must be remitted to the state to be deposited as provided in 19-5-404.

(4)  Of the fee for filing a petition for dissolution of marriage or legal separation, $40 must be deposited in the state general fund, $35 must be remitted to the state to be deposited as provided in 19-5-404, $5 must be deposited in the children's trust fund account established by 41-3-702, and $20 must be deposited in and credited to the district court fund. If no district court fund exists, the $20 must be deposited in the general fund for district court operations.

(5)  (a) Before the percentages contained in subsection (2) are applied and the fees deposited in the district court fund or the county general fund or remitted to the state, the clerk of the district court shall deduct from the following fees the amounts indicated:

(i)  at the commencement of each action or proceeding and for filing a complaint in intervention as provided in subsection (1)(a), $35;

(ii) from each defendant or respondent, on appearance, as provided in subsection (1)(b), $25;

(iii) on the entry of judgment as provided in subsection (1)(c), $15; and

(iv) from the applicant or petitioner, on the filing of an application for probate or for the appointment of a personal representative or on the filing of a petition for appointment of a guardian or conservator, as provided in subsection (1)(m), $15.

(b)  The clerk of the district court shall deposit the money deducted in subsection (5)(a) in the county general fund for district court operations unless the county has a district court fund. If the county has a district court fund, the money must be deposited in that fund.

(6)  The fee for filing a motion for substitution of a judge as provided in subsection (1)(p) must be remitted to the state to be deposited as provided in 19-5-404.

(7)  Fees collected under subsections (1)(d) through (1)(i) must be deposited in the district court fund. If no district court fund exists, fees must be deposited in the general fund for district court operations.

(8)  The clerk of the district court shall remit to the credit of the state general fund $20 of each fee collected under the provisions of subsections (1)(a) through (1)(c), (1)(m), and (1)(n) to fund a portion of judicial salaries.

(9) A STATE AGENCY THAT PAYS A FEE UNDER SUBSECTION (1)(Q) MAY, USING ANY METHOD PROVIDED BY LAW FOR COLLECTION OF JUDGMENTS OR OTHER ADJUDICATED DEBTS BY THE AGENCY, IMMEDIATELY COLLECT THE AMOUNT PAID FROM THE PERSON AGAINST WHOM THE AGENCY FILED THE WARRANT OF DISTRAINT, CERTIFICATE OF LIEN, OR ABSTRACT OF ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER OR OF FINAL ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER. A HEARING IS NOT REQUIRED."



Section 2.  Section 25-10-405, MCA, is amended to read:

"25-10-405.   Governmental entities not required to prepay fees -- exceptions. The state, a county, a municipality, or any subdivision thereof of the state, a county, or a municipality or any officer when prosecuting or defending an action on behalf of the state, a county, a municipality, or a subdivision thereof of the state, a county, or a municipality is not required to pay or deposit any fee or amount to or with any officer during the prosecution or defense of an the action, except the fee under 25-1-201(1)(p) for filing a motion for substitution of a judge, the fee under 25-1-201(1)(q) for filing a warrant for distraint, certificate of lien, or abstract of ADMINISTRATIVE order OR OF FINAL ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER, and all fees for photocopies, postage and handling, certifications, authentications, and record searches."

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