Amendment #695 to H3400

An Amendment relative to the collection of outstanding legal fees

Representatives Lyons of Andover and Lombardo of Billerica move to amend the bill by inserting the following section:—

SECTION XX. Chapter 211D of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting, after subsection (i), the following subjection:—

(j) The clerk of the court shall, within 60 days of appointment of counsel, report to the department of revenue, the department of transitional assistance and the registry of motor vehicles the amount of any legal counsel fee owed by the person for whom counsel was appointed under this chapter. The department of revenue shall intercept payment of such fee from tax refunds due to persons who owe all or a portion of such fee. The registry of motor vehicles shall not issue or renew a person's driver's license or motor vehicle registration for any vehicle subsequently purchased by such person until it receives notification from the clerk of the court that the fee has been collected or worked off in community service. If payment of the counsel fee has not been made within 90 days, and there has been no extension granted by the court, the registry of motor vehicles shall suspend a person’s driver’s license until it receives notification from the clerk of the court that the fee has been collected or worked off in community service.