Criminal fees.

Removed the amendment to Government Code Section 6157 that would have required state and local agencies to accept personal checks for court-ordered debt relating to criminal proceedings, prohibited charging returned check fees for such payments, and made those fees unenforceable and uncollectible beginning January 1, 2027.

Removed the amendment to Government Code Section 71386 that would have required courts to adopt written policies for accepting checks and money orders for fees, fines, or bail deposits, prohibited courts from charging returned check fees, and made those fees unenforceable and uncollectible beginning January 1, 2027.

The bill's stated scope was narrowed to remove references to amending Sections 6157 and 71386 of the Government Code from the enacting clause and legislative counsel's digest.

The bill no longer repeals Health and Safety Code Section 11470.2. The repeal provision was deleted, and references to that section were also removed from the new Section 11470.5 (which makes certain court-imposed costs unenforceable starting January 1, 2027).

Section 11374.5(b)(1) cost-recovery penalty is no longer limited to manufacturers. The digest language changed from 'if the person is a manufacturer convicted of the sale, possession, or transportation of a controlled substance' to 'if the person is convicted of the sale, possession, or transportation of a controlled substance,' broadening who can be ordered to pay cleanup costs.

All section numbers in the bill were renumbered down by one (e.g., old Section 5 became new Section 4, old Section 17 became new Section 15), consistent with the removal of an earlier section from the bill.

An empty subdivision (b) in Section 11374.5 was removed and the definitions subdivision was renumbered from (b) to (c).

Section 68635 of the Government Code was completely rewritten. The introduced version required inmates sentenced to state prison or confined in county jail to pay filing fees in installments (20 percent of monthly deposits or account balance). The amended version eliminates this requirement entirely, stating that such persons 'shall not be required to pay trial court filing fees or costs related to the person's incarceration for the underlying criminal conviction.'

Section 11374.5 of the Health and Safety Code was narrowed. The introduced version imposed cleanup cost penalties on any person convicted of 'the manufacture, sale, possession for sale, possession, transportation, or disposal' of hazardous substances related to controlled substances. The amended version limits this to persons convicted of violating subdivision (a) (illegal disposal) or convicted of 'the manufacture or disposal,' removing sale, possession for sale, possession, and transportation from the list of covered offenses.

Assembly Member Schultz was added as a coauthor alongside Assembly Member Rogers, indicating broader legislative support for the bill.

Section 71386 of the Government Code was changed to remove the detailed returned check fee distribution mechanism (which allowed fees to be deposited in county general fund or distributed to courts). The amended version simply states that any entity accepting a check does so at its own risk and is prohibited from charging a fee for returned checks or insufficient funds, eliminating returned check fees more broadly.

Section 597.3 of the Penal Code (live animal markets) removed the provision allowing state or local agencies to charge participants up to $100 for a compliance course that could result in fine waiver.

Section 1203.1i of the Penal Code no longer includes the provision allowing courts to order a person under house confinement to pay the cost of having a police officer or guard stand outside the confinement area if determined able to pay.

Section 1203.1a of the Penal Code no longer allows probation officers to require an inmate temporarily released for community reentry purposes to reimburse the county for expenses incurred in connection with that release.