An act to amend Sections 6157 and 71386 of, and to repeal and add Section 68635 of, of the Government Code, to amend Section 11374.5 of, and to add Section 11470.5 to, the Health and Safety Code, to amend Sections 597.3, 1203.1a, 1203.1i, 1205.3, 1209.5, 4011.1, and 4018.6 of, and to add Section 1210.2 to, the Penal Code, to amend Sections 42007 and 42008.8 of the Vehicle Code, and to repeal Section 730.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to fees.
AB 2428 would substantially reduce or eliminate a wide range of criminal justice-related fees and court costs in California. The bill repeals the authority to collect many existing fees tied to criminal arrests, prosecutions, convictions, probation, traffic school, community service, jail release, and certain drug- and environmental-remediation-related penalties. It also makes the unpaid balance of most affected court-imposed costs unenforceable and uncollectible beginning January 1, 2027, and requires portions of judgments based on those costs to be vacated. In addition, the bill bars counties, cities, courts, and contracted entities from charging fees for community service programs, educational programs used to satisfy fines, and returned checks connected to criminal court debt.
The bill also changes payment rules for criminal court debt by allowing public entities to accept personal checks for court-ordered debt related to criminal proceedings without the usual residency or banking conditions, while prohibiting returned-check charges for that debt. It repeals and replaces Government Code Section 68635 so that people sentenced to state prison or confined in county jail are not required to pay trial court filing fees or incarceration-related costs tied to the underlying conviction. Several sections in the Penal Code, Government Code, Health and Safety Code, Vehicle Code, and Welfare and Institutions Code are amended or repealed to conform to this broader fee-elimination framework.
AB 2428 is framed as a criminal justice and equity measure. The findings state that criminal fees disproportionately burden low-income Californians and Black and brown communities, create a two-tiered system based on wealth, and are costly and difficult for counties to collect. The bill’s stated intent is to eliminate certain fees on Californians who cannot afford court-ordered debt, and its overall policy direction is to shift away from funding government through criminal administrative charges imposed on indigent defendants.
The general sentiment reflected in the available voting history is strongly favorable. The bill passed committee unanimously in the recorded vote, and the last action shows it was approved and re-referred to Appropriations with no recorded opposition. That suggests broad support at the committee stage for reducing criminal legal financial obligations and related collection practices.
The main point of contention, based on the bill’s structure rather than recorded debate, is fiscal impact. Because the bill removes or makes uncollectible many revenue-producing fees and costs, it likely affects county, court, and agency funding streams, which is consistent with the bill being sent to Appropriations. Another possible issue is administrative implementation, since the bill requires courts and local entities to vacate existing judgments, stop collecting certain debts, and adjust payment and collection procedures across multiple code sections.
AB 2428 would significantly alter California law by repealing or limiting numerous statutory fee authorities in the Government Code, Penal Code, Health and Safety Code, Vehicle Code, and Welfare and Institutions Code. It would make many outstanding criminal court costs and related fees unenforceable and uncollectible as of January 1, 2027, and would require judgments imposing those costs to be vacated. It also creates new prohibitions on charging fees for community service participation, educational alternatives to fines, and returned checks tied to criminal court debt, while exempting incarcerated people from trial court filing fees and incarceration-related costs associated with their underlying conviction.
The available legislative history indicates positive momentum and little visible opposition at the committee stage. The bill received a unanimous 8-0 vote on April 14, 2026, and later moved out of committee with a 5-0 vote to be re-referred to Appropriations. The bill’s findings and structure show a strong reform-oriented, equity-focused approach, and the recorded votes suggest that committee members were generally supportive of reducing criminal fees and debt burdens.
The most likely area of contention is fiscal, because the bill would eliminate or suspend collection of many fees that currently support courts, counties, and state or local programs. That creates potential concern for agencies that rely on fee revenue and for policymakers focused on budget offsets. A second area of concern is operational: the bill requires courts and local entities to stop collecting certain debts, vacate portions of judgments, and change collection and payment practices, which may raise implementation and administrative questions. No specific objections are recorded in the provided transcript material, but those are the issues most likely to generate debate.