Committee reviews bill to modernize county clerk fees for digital exhibits and media

House Bill 2,543 would modernize the statute authorizing county clerk fees to align with recent appellate rule changes, committee staff and county clerks said Feb. 19.

Staff counsel Ryan Giannini explained the bill revises fees for providing photographs of exhibits ($5), digital or electronic exhibit copies ($25), and copies delivered on electronic storage media ($5); it standardizes the fee for audio and video copies to $25 and eliminates outdated references to compact discs. The bill also authorizes a $2 handling fee in addition to postage costs. Representative Pollet said the update is technical but important so county clerks do not have to absorb the higher cost of producing complex exhibits ordered by courts.

Catherine Cornwall, King County superior court clerk, testified for the Washington State Association of County Clerks, describing new Supreme Court rules that require clerks to produce color copies and photographs for appeals; she called the bill "a technical change" to align RCW with court rules. Timothy Grisham of the Washington Association of County Officials also testified in support, describing the bill as aligning practice with statutes and not a revenue‑raising measure but a cost‑recovery adjustment.

The committee closed public testimony for HB 2,543; no amendments were taken during the Feb. 19 hearing.