Felicia

As jurisdictions gear up for the upcoming 2025 sessions, now is the time for advocates to analyze 2024’s fines and fees legislation and strategize for 2025. 

Today, Governor Kevin Stitt made a bold commitment in his 2025 State of the State Address to reform fines and fees practices, acknowledging their role in trapping Oklahoma residents in a cycle of debt.

Tracking fines and fees revenue and expenditures through the budget can not only help advocates hold policy makers accountable, but it can also provide a means for pursuing intentional budget reform.

by: Lisa Foster, Co-Executive Director of the Fines and Fees Justice Center The U.S. Department of Justice has repeatedly warned state and local courts that their use and collection of court fines …

A new analysis of New York’s fee revenue by the Fines and Fees Justice Center has revealed that eliminating court fees would have very little impact on the state’s budget, …

FFJC's latest summary of the legislation related to fines and fees that was introduced during 2023 state legislative sessions.

When this organization started six years ago we could never have predicted the breadth and pace of fines and fees reform that would unfold across the nation. And still, our work is just beginning. Here our Deputy Executive Director, Priya Sarathy Jones shares insights about FFJC’s first-ever Fines and Fees Advocacy Summit, our robust national reform strategy, and how we are revving up for more 2024 victories.

FFJC Nevada together with our key partners across the state were able to successfully pass significant fine and fee reform in the 2023 legislative session with bipartisan support from the Democratic controlled legislature and newly elected Republican governor. We also thwarted efforts to impose new fees in the criminal legal system and set the groundwork for future misdemeanor reform.

On June 16, New Mexico officially ended the practice of suspending driver's licenses for “Failure to Appear” (FTA) or “Failure to Pay” (FTP). Here's what you need to know to ensure your license is reinstated.

The new report exposes a stark reality: for millions of working families, money needed for necessities, such as food, housing, healthcare and transportation, is being redirected to pay off court debt. At least 17 million families with children sacrifice on essentials due to court debt.