Ends Court Fees for Low-Income Defendants
Virginia · HB852 · Introduced Jan 13, 2026
Why it matters
Parents and defendants who cannot afford lawyers would no longer owe the state for those lawyers' costs. The state would pay more of these costs itself.
What it does
- Ends the requirement that parents pay for a lawyer appointed for their child in some cases
- Removes the cost of a guardian ad litem from parents who are found indigent
- Stops courts from charging indigent defendants for legal representation paid by the Commonwealth
- Removes the Commonwealth's right to bill defendants for trial transcripts and psychiatric evaluations
Status
Latest action (2026-07-21): Continued from last session
About this bill
Would end fees for court-appointed lawyers or public defenders for people found too poor to pay, and end jury trial fees. A work group would study fee collection and report by November 2026 and 2027.
Perspectives
💬 The case for
Public defender groups would likely say low-income families should not be billed for court-appointed lawyers. Fees can trap people in debt before they are convicted.
💬 The case against
Some county and state budget groups would likely say the state would lose revenue. They may also worry that taxpayers would pay more for these services.
Sponsored by
Sponsor details for this state bill are at the source link.
News
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