House File 838 - Introduced



                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

                                       (SUCCESSOR TO HF 671)
                                       (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 196)


    Passed House, Date               Passed Senate,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to the procedures and duties of the judicial
  2    branch, including sending notices, and providing for fees.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 1241HZ 81
  5 jm/pj/5

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  602.8102A  NOTICES RETURNED FOR
  1  2 UNKNOWN ADDRESS == RESENDING.
  1  3    Notwithstanding any other provision of the Code to the
  1  4 contrary, and subject to rules prescribed by the supreme
  1  5 court, if the clerk of the district court sends a mailing or
  1  6 notice to a person or party and the mailing or notice is
  1  7 returned by the postal service to the clerk of the district
  1  8 court as undeliverable, the clerk is not required to send a
  1  9 repeat or subsequent mailing or notice unless the clerk
  1 10 receives an updated mailing address.
  1 11    Sec. 2.  Section 602.8105, subsection 2, Code 2005, is
  1 12 amended to read as follows:
  1 13    2.  The clerk of the district court shall collect the
  1 14 following fees for miscellaneous services:
  1 15    a.  For filing, entering, and endorsing a mechanic's lien,
  1 16 twenty dollars, and if a suit is brought, the fee is taxable
  1 17 as other costs in the action.
  1 18    b.  For filing and entering an agricultural supply dealer's
  1 19 lien and any other statutory lien, twenty dollars.
  1 20    c.  For a certificate and seal, ten dollars.  However,
  1 21 there shall be no charge for a certificate and seal to an
  1 22 application to procure a pension, bounty, or back pay for a
  1 23 member of the armed services or other person.
  1 24    d.  For certifying a change in title of real estate, twenty
  1 25 dollars.
  1 26    e.  For filing a praecipe to issue execution under chapter
  1 27 626, twenty=five dollars.
  1 28    f.  For filing a praecipe to issue execution under chapter
  1 29 654, fifty dollars.
  1 30    g.  For filing a confession of judgment under chapter 676,
  1 31 fifty dollars if the judgment is five thousand dollars or
  1 32 less, and one hundred dollars if the judgment exceeds five
  1 33 thousand dollars.
  1 34    e.  h.  Other fees provided by law.
  1 35    Sec. 3.  Section 901.4, Code 2005, is amended to read as
  2  1 follows:
  2  2    901.4  PRESENTENCE INVESTIGATION REPORT CONFIDENTIAL ==
  2  3 DISTRIBUTION.
  2  4    The presentence investigation report is confidential and
  2  5 the court shall provide safeguards to ensure its
  2  6 confidentiality, including but not limited to sealing the
  2  7 report, which may be opened only by further court order.  At
  2  8 least three days prior to the date set for sentencing, the
  2  9 court shall serve send a copy of all of the presentence
  2 10 investigation report upon by ordinary or electronic mail, to
  2 11 the defendant's attorney and the attorney for the state, and
  2 12 the report shall remain confidential except upon court order.
  2 13 However, the court may conceal the identity of the person who
  2 14 provided confidential information.  The report of a medical
  2 15 examination or psychological or psychiatric evaluation shall
  2 16 be made available to the attorney for the state and to the
  2 17 defendant upon request.  The reports are part of the record
  2 18 but shall be sealed and opened only on order of the court.  If
  2 19 the defendant is committed to the custody of the Iowa
  2 20 department of corrections and is not a class "A" felon, a copy
  2 21 of the presentence investigation report shall be forwarded by
  2 22 ordinary or electronic mail to the director with the order of
  2 23 commitment by the clerk of the district court and to the board
  2 24 of parole at the time of commitment.  Pursuant to section
  2 25 904.602, the presentence investigation report may also be
  2 26 released by ordinary or electronic mail by the department of
  2 27 corrections or a judicial district department of correctional
  2 28 services to another jurisdiction for the purpose of providing
  2 29 interstate probation and parole compact or interstate compact
  2 30 for adult offender supervision services or evaluations, or to
  2 31 a substance abuse or mental health services provider when
  2 32 referring a defendant for services.  The defendant or the
  2 33 defendant's attorney may file with the presentence
  2 34 investigation report, a denial or refutation of the
  2 35 allegations, or both, contained in the report.  The denial or
  3  1 refutation shall be included in the report.  If the person is
  3  2 sentenced for an offense which requires registration under
  3  3 chapter 692A, the court shall release the report by ordinary
  3  4 or electronic mail to the department.
  3  5    Sec. 4.  STUDY OF COURT RULE RELATED TO TRIBAL COURTS.  The
  3  6 general assembly acknowledges that contact and interaction
  3  7 between the Iowa court system and federally recognized tribal
  3  8 courts are ever increasing and the general assembly urges the
  3  9 Iowa supreme court to consider developing and prescribing a
  3 10 rule that recognizes the tribal court system and enforces
  3 11 tribal court orders, judgments, and decrees.
  3 12                           EXPLANATION
  3 13    This bill relates to procedures and duties of the judicial
  3 14 branch.
  3 15    The bill creates new Code section 602.8102A relating to the
  3 16 clerk of the district court sending a mailing or notice.  The
  3 17 bill provides that subject to rules prescribed by the supreme
  3 18 court, if the clerk of the district court sends a mailing or
  3 19 notice to a person or party and the notice or mailing is
  3 20 returned to the clerk of the district court as undeliverable,
  3 21 the clerk is not required to send a subsequent mailing or
  3 22 notice, unless the clerk receives updated address information.
  3 23    The amendment to Code section 602.8105 relates to the
  3 24 collection of fees by the clerk of the district court.  The
  3 25 bill establishes a $25 fee for filing a praecipe to issue
  3 26 execution under Code chapter 626 (enforcement of a judgment);
  3 27 a $50 fee for filing a praecipe to issue execution under Code
  3 28 chapter 654 (foreclosure of real estate mortgages); and a $50
  3 29 fee for filing a confession of judgment if the judgment is
  3 30 $5,000 or less and a $100 fee if the amount of the judgment
  3 31 exceeds $5,000 under Code chapter 676 (judgment by
  3 32 confession).  A "praecipe" means an order commanding the
  3 33 debtor to do the thing required by the order.  A "judgment by
  3 34 confession" means an act by the debtor permitting a judgment
  3 35 to be entered against the debtor.
  4  1    The amendment to Code section 901.4 permits the court to
  4  2 send a copy of a presentence investigation report to the
  4  3 defense attorney and county attorney by ordinary mail or
  4  4 electronic mail.  The presentence investigation report
  4  5 contains a detailed personal history of a criminal defendant.
  4  6 Current law does not permit the court to send a copy of the
  4  7 report by electronic mail to the defense attorney or county
  4  8 attorney.
  4  9    The bill also urges the supreme court to develop and
  4 10 prescribe a rule which recognizes the tribal court system and
  4 11 enforces tribal court orders, judgments, and decrees.
  4 12 LSB 1241HZ 81
  4 13 jm:nh/pj/5