20250SB__005497CHP INTRODUCED 2025-01-07 PASSED_ASSEMBLY 2025-09-08 PASSED_SENATE 2025-05-29 ENROLLED 2025-09-10 CHAPTERED 2025-10-11 APPROVED 2025-10-11 FILED 2025-10-11 2025 SB CHP CHP 0 Introduced by Senator Umberg (Coauthor: Senator Richardson) LEAD_AUTHOR SENATE Umberg COAUTHOR SENATE Richardson

An act to amend

Section of the Government Code, relating to courts. courts Court fee waivers: veterans. 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. MAJORITY NO YES NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section of the Government Code is amended to read: 68632. 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: (

a) An applicant who is receiving public benefits under one or more of the following programs:

(1) Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and State Supplementary Payment (SSP) (Article 5 (commencing with

Section 12200) of

Chapter of Part of Division of the Welfare and Institutions Code).

(2) California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids Act (CalWORKs) (Chapter 2 (commencing with

Section 11200) of Part of Division 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).

(3) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Chapter 51 (commencing with

Section 2011) of Title of the United States Code) or the California Food Assistance Program (Chapter 10.1 (commencing with

Section 18930) of Part of Division of the Welfare and Institutions Code).

(4) County Relief, General Relief (GR), or General Assistance (GA) (Part 5 (commencing with

Section 17000) of Division of the Welfare and Institutions Code).

(5) Cash Assistance Program for Aged, Blind, and Disabled Legal Immigrants (CAPI) (Chapter 10.3 (commencing with

Section 18937) of Part of Division of the Welfare and Institutions Code).

(6) In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) (Article 7 (commencing with

Section 12300) of

Chapter of Part of Division of the Welfare and Institutions Code).

(7) Medi-Cal (Chapter 7 (commencing with

Section 14000) of Part of Division of the Welfare and Institutions Code).

(8) California Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC Program) (Article 2 (commencing with

Section 123275) of

Chapter of Part of Division of the Health and Safety Code).

(9) Unemployment compensation (Chapter 5 (commencing with

Section 1251) of Part of Division of the Unemployment Insurance Code). (b)

(1) An applicant whose monthly income is 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 of Title of the United States Code or a successor statute or regulation.

(2) 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.

(3) Monthly income for purposes of paragraph (1) shall not include veterans disability service-connected compensation. (

c) 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. (

d) 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).