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.
end
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 and fees so that low-income folks can disentangle themselves from the criminal legal system and avoid being punished for their poverty.
To set people up for success at sentencing, it is crucial that courts follow the letter and the spirit of these laws. Appreciating and understanding these laws ensure that we continue to operate in the interests of justice, and not at the expense of Texans experiencing poverty.
Expected Impact:
Improved Ability To Pay (ATP) procedures and access will result in equitable justice for all, a decrease of post-conviction supervision and collection loads and court dockets, and it will help people break out of the cycle of poverty. It will avoid arrest warrants where there is no threat to public safety, eliminate the use of arrest warrants as a tool to collect debt, and discharge old, uncollectible court-imposed fines and fees debt.
Alternative Options:
Seeking County funds for the project.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 1. Make Harris County safer and more just.
County Strategic Plan Objective: D: Reduce racial, ethnic, and economic disparities in the criminal legal system.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): D3: Improve outcomes for indigent defendants through holistic services and connections to necessary resources.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): Choose an item.
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): Choose an item.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): Choose an item.
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Choose an item.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): Choose an item.
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
Prior Court Action (if any): N/A
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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Ability To Pay Initiative |
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Local Match Source - Additional Budget Request: Choose an item. |
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Grant Funds Applied for/Awarded (Total) |
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$15,000.00 |
$15,000.00 |
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Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new Position Control Numbers (PCN)s) |
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Current Position Count for Service |
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Total Personnel |
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County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
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CAO Reviewer Name and Title |
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CAO Review Completion Date |
Click or tap to enter a date. |
Anticipated Court Date: 12/11/2025
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Derek Kelly, Community Engagement Coordinator
Attachments (if applicable): Court Order, Grant Agreement, Award Acceptance Budget Template