Wisconsin Lawyer
March 31, 2008
Legislative Watch: Figures
Figures for Budget Reform Legislation Enacted.
Figure 1: Wis. Act 109 - Court Filing Fee Increases
|
Statute
Affected
|
Court Support
Fee Increase
|
Impact |
|
814.634(1)(a)
|
Increase fee from
$40 to $52
|
Increases fees for commencing a civil
action under 814.61(1)(a), third-party complaints under 814.61(3),
appeals from municipal court or administrative decisions under
814.61(8)(am), and defendant's payments in forfei- ture actions under
814.63(1)(b) |
|
814.634(1)(b)
|
Increase fee from
$100 to $130 |
Increases fees for large claims, third-party complaints, and
garnishment actions or wage earner actions if the amount claimed exceeds
$5,000
|
|
814.634(1)(c)
|
Increase fee from
$30 to $39 |
Increases fees for small claim actions (including counterclaims or
cross-complaints filed under 799.02), large claims, third-party
complaints, and garnishment actions or wage earner actions if the amount
claimed is equal to or less than $5,000
|
Figure 2: Additional Issues of
Interest to Lawyers
|
Provision
|
Description
|
Position (if applicable) |
Final Status |
|
Court
Funding
|
Original cuts to the court budgets were about $3.5 million. A
compromise restored about $1.37 million, leaving it as a $2.2 million
cut.
|
State Bar opposed cuts to
the court budgets and supported the compromise on funding. |
Compromise language to
reduce budget cuts by $1.37 million enacted. |
|
Adoption & Safe
Families
Compliance
|
Language similar to Assembly Bill 809 to bring Wisconsin into
compliance with federal Adoption & Safe Families Act. In general,
provisions apply to CHIPS (children in need under ch. 48) and JIPS
(juveniles in need under ch. 938), affecting dispositional orders,
permanency plans, and TPR actions, among many others provisions.
|
State Bar's Children & the Law Section supported.
|
Enacted |
|
Internal Revenue
Code Updates
|
Adopt a variety of changes to conform Wisconsin law to federal
Internal Revenue Code updates, including EGTRRA (changes to conform to
IRC updates were not made to Wisconsin's estate tax law, as affected by
2001 Act 16).
|
|
Enacted |
Domestic
Violence Injunctions;
Victim-Advocate
Privilege;
Stalking |
Provisions to apply domestic
violence injunctions to "dating" and caregiver relationships, provide
privilege to communications between victims and advocates, and modify
stalking statute. |
Injunction and privilege opposed by
Criminal Law Section; stalking modifications supported by Criminal Law
Section. |
Enacted |
