SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 748

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: SEPTEMBER 19, 1996

      The Senate Judiciary Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 748.

      This bill would revise the present fee structure for transcripts prepared by court reports and transcribers. Presently, the authorized fee is $1.50 per page and $0.50 per copy of each page of a transcript. The bill would permit a standard fee of $3.00 per page and $0.25 per copy. For transcripts produced within two to seven days, the bill would authorize a fee of $4.00 per page and $5.00 per page and $0.50 per copy. For transcripts prepared and delivered the same day the fee would be $6.00 per page and $0.50 per copy. Transcription few were last raised in 1981.

      The amendments adopted by the committee added a new section 2 to the bill phasing in the fee increase as it would apply to requests for transcripts by State agencies. The fee for State agencies would raise gradually, reaching the fees proposed under S-748 for other litigants on January 1, 2001.

      To be consistent with the other per page rates listed in the bill, these amendments would also changed the copy rate in paragraph a(4) of the bill from $0.25 per page to $0.50 per page. In addition, the amendments would change the bill’s effective date from 60 days following enactment to immediately.