State Court Administrator Reminder Program

State court administrator - court reminder program - appropriation. The state court administrator must administer a court reminder program (program) in district courts, county courts, and municipal courts that use the judicial department's case management system. The program must remind criminal defendants and juveniles who are alleged to have committed a delinquent act to appear at their scheduled hearings and provide reminders about unplanned court closures. The judicial department is required to include information about the program in its annual report to the general assembly.

A court that participates in the program and a person who serves a juvenile or the juvenile's parent with a summons or a written promise to appear in court must notify criminal defendants and juveniles and the juveniles' parents of the opportunity to provide a mobile telephone number that will be used by the court solely to provide text message reminders for future court dates and unplanned court closures. A summons that is issued in lieu of a warrant must advise the person summonsed that he or she may provide a phone number to receive such reminders.

A phone number collected for the express purpose of administering the program must be kept separate from other identifying information and must only be used to achieve the objectives of the program.

For the 2018-19 state fiscal year, $203,612 is appropriated to the judicial department from the general fund for information technology infrastructure.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)