Fines and costs; period of limitations on collection, deferred payment agreement.
Summary
Fines and costs; period of limitations on collection; deferred payment agreement. Changes the period of limitations for the collection of court fines and costs from within 60 years from the date of the offense or delinquency giving rise to imposition of such penalty if imposed by a circuit court or within 30 years if imposed by a general district court to within 10 years from the date of the judgment whether imposed by a circuit court or general district court. The bill provides that upon the expiration of the period of limitations, no action shall be brought to collect the debt.The bill also provides that for any defendant sentenced to an active term of incarceration and ordered to pay any fine, cost, forfeiture, or penalty related to the charge that such defendant is incarcerated for, or any other charge for which such defendant was sentenced on the same day, the court shall enter such defendant into a deferred payment agreement for such fines, costs, forfeitures, or penalties. The bill requires the due date for such deferred payment agreement to be set no earlier than the defendant's scheduled release from incarceration on the charges for which such defendant was sentenced on the same day, and, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the period of limitations for payment of such fines, costs, forfeitures, or penalties shall start to run on the due date for such deferred payment agreement.The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 9, 2026
Last action Jul 21, 2026
Floor votes
How they voted
This bill passed the House of Delegates by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
20
Key actions
6
Committee
7
Amendments
2
Feb 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (9-Y 6-N)
upper
Feb 4, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
upper
Feb 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (91-Y 7-N 0-A)
lower
Feb 2, 2026
Introduced
Engrossed by House as amended
lower
Feb 2, 2026
Lower · Passed
committee amendments agreed to
lower
Jan 28, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment(s) (19-Y 1-N)
lower
Jan 21, 2026
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (10-Y 0-N)
lower
Jan 21, 2026
Lower · Passed
House subcommittee offered
lower
Jan 20, 2026
Committee
Assigned HCJ sub: Criminal
lower
Jan 9, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Phil Hernandez
DDemocratic
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