Primary Department: Justices of the Peace
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Judge Steven Duble, Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, Place 2
Secondary Department: N/A
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official:
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Grant - Award
Project ID (if applicable):
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): Results for America
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable):
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable):
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): 5%
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Rate is not 0% and is listed above.
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request by Justice of the Peace 1-2 that the County Judge execute an agreement with Results for America in the amount of $15,000 to facilitate a court-based initiative to implement and strengthen procedures for assessing ability to pay in Harris County, Texas.
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Background and Discussion:
The purpose of fines is to deter people from violating the law and punish those who do. But a $500 fine may represent an insurmountable obstacle to one person and a minor inconvenience to another. Charging people amounts they cannot pay is draconian. Costs and fines are assessed in a class C misdemeanor case can easily run over $700, which can pose a significant strain on low-income and even middle-class families. People are assessed fines and fees they are simply unable to pay. Failure to pay these amounts can result in a slew of consequences including incarceration. Jailing people for nonpayment is by far the most expensive method of enforcing collections and generates no revenue making it highly uneconomical.
The penalties can be devastating for low-income people and the communities they live in, furthering cycles of poverty and limiting opportunities for growth. Texas law requires courts to consider ability to pay when setting fines an...
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