(See April 28 Posting)
A bill that would have enabled thousands of convicted criminals to tell state licensing boards and prospective employers that they have never been convicted of a crime was vetoed by the Rhode Island Governor. The legislature would need to hold a special session before January to address the veto and rescue the bill.
Effective July 1, 2008, the filing fees, search fees and copy fees increased for Florida Circuit, County and Appellate Courts. The fee increase is part of Senate Bill 1790, which was signed by the governor on June 10th.
In general, fees are increased approximately 15% for filing and 33% for record searches and copies. The fee for a copy increased from $1.50 to $2.00. The fee for a name search at the county level courts increased from $1.50 per year to $2.00 per year.
The bill also increased fees for misdemeanors, felonies, and criminal traffic offenses. And there is a significant increase from $75 to $265 for “removal of tenant action.”
Please note that as of July 3, 2008, not all court clerks have implemented the fee increase.
To view a copy of the bill, go to www.flsenate.gov/Welcome/ and type in 1790 under the Jump to Bill tab on the left.
Effective July 1, 2008, the filing fees, search fees and copy fees will increase for Florida Circuit, County and Appellate Courts. The fee increase is part of Senate Bill 1790 which is awaiting the governor's signature.
In general, fees will raise approximately 15% for filing and 33% for record searches and copies. The fee for a copy will increase from $1.50 to $2.00. The fee for a name search at the county level courts will increase from $1.50 per year to $2.00 per year. The bill also increases fees for misdemeanors, felonies, and criminal traffic offenses. And there is a significant increase from $75 to $265 for "removal of tenant action."
According to a spokesperson at the Florida State Court Administration, the likelihood of the bill being signed by the governor is quite high. To view a copy of the bill, go to www.flsenate.gov/Welcome/ and type in 1790 under the Jump to Bill tab on the left.
The Colorado Governor signed HP10-1082 which makes two significant changes. Individuals can petition to seal the records of criminal charges dismissed as the result of a plea bargain in another case after waiting ten years (instead of the previous fifteen).
Also, individuals with convictions for petty offenses, misdemeanors, or class 5 or 6 felonies for drug possession charges can petition to seal the record of conviction after ten years following completion of sentence. This doesn’t apply to charges involving the sale, manufacture or dispensing of controlled drugs.
The new law is effective July 1, 2008. View Bill Folder
The New York Office of Court Administration recently raised its statewide search fee from $52.00 to $55.00. Visit http://www.nycourts.gov/apps/chrs/
Analysts International Corp, VisionWare and the University of Alabama are combining efforts to create a new Criminal Records Index Master for the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center (ACJIC). We have no information as far as when the system will be available.
A Rhode Island House committee has approved a bill to remove thousands of crimes from the public record. If approved, thousands of convicted criminals will be able to tell state licensing boards and prospective employers that they have never been convicted of a crime. The bill is heading to the full house for a vote. View bill folder. View Providence Journal newspaper article.
Kroll publishes an annual Hit Ratio Report which provides key statistics for seven common employment screening criteria. It also provides detailed analyses of industry-specific hit ratios for 13 industries. The report is created from a sample of Kroll’s Background Screening clients across a variety of industries and company sizes.
Notable statistics from this years report include an increase hit ratio of criminal record convictions from 9.1% in 2006 to 9.5% in 2007. Construction, automotive and the retail industry had the highest criminal record hit ratios. Education had the lowest.
To read the report visit www.kroll.com/about/library/hit_ratio.
Several changes have taken place over the past few months.
1) The old dial-up system proving access to the record dockets to Circuit and District courts has been shut down. All users have migrated to the web interface at http://casesearch.courts.state.md.us/inquiry/inquiry-index.jsp
2) Previously, data was not provided on the web interface for case information from Montgomery and Prince George's Counties Circuit courts. Now the system provides information from these two counities, but there is a one-day delay. Circuit courts are the general jurisidiction courts in Maryland.
3) To better manage the civil case load, the Maryland Judiciary raised the civil case limit at the lower, limited jurisdicational District Courts from $25,000 to $30,000. However, not all courts are necessarily following this pattern. A search of both courts is in order when looking for records involving that dollar amount range.
Update to the March 12th posting on this site.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court rescinded the rule closing selected online court records and redacting information from court files. A statement issued by the the court on 3/25/08 indicated the ruling was withdrawn to provide further study and consideration.
