Panel backs eliminating court-appointed attorney and jury fees for indigent defendants

Delegate Cousins presented HB 852, which would eliminate court‑appointed attorney fees and jury costs charged to indigent defendants and create a reenactment clause and a stakeholder workgroup to plan implementation and report by November 1. Supporters, including Pat Levy Lavelle (Legal Aid Justice Center), Cammie Blatt (The Commonwealth Institute) and other advocates, described the fees as a regressive practice that creates debt and discourages people from exercising constitutional rights.

Witnesses cited data showing low collection rates for assessed counsel fees and the disproportionate burden on low‑income and Black Virginians. "These fees create unequal burdens for low income communities and tie people down with a debt sentence," an advocate said. Formerly incarcerated speakers and national groups (Fines and Fees Justice Center) urged passage as an equity step.

The subcommittee moved to report HB 852 and refer it to Appropriations for consideration of fiscal effects; the motion passed 7‑3. The bill includes a process clause to allow stakeholders time to develop an implementation plan and report their findings.