LGC 14.9 - Feed the Community from Fines Act (Statute)

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

Feed the Community from Fines Act
To follow RL Montana's example and have food donations be allowed as payment for a fine

I. Title
a.This bill may be referred to as the "Feed the Community from Fines Act".

II. Allow Donations in Lieu of fines
a. Any court under the jurisdiction of the Lincoln Region must permit part or all of a fine to be satisfied by a donation to a food bank program, up to the limit given in Section II, subsection c of this act.
b. Donations are to be made with canned, non-perishable foods, including but not limited to soup, canned vegetables, and canned meats.
c. Each can of food in a donation shall satisfy $5 of a fine, up to a total of $500.

III. Implementation
a. This bill shall go into effect thirty (30) days after signature by the governor.

Sponsor: WB
Slot #2

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

I recently had heard of a program that Butte, Montana does every year around Christmastime which allows 30 cans of food donated to a food bank to take the place of $150 in court fines. I thought this was a great idea, and one that should be honored year round. This will keep food banks regionwide stocked, as the price for the canned food at least at the moment would be less than the $5 that it covers, which incentivizes giving.

I'll let this article do the talking:  https://www.kxlf.com/news/local-news/court-accepting-food-donations-instead-of-fines

Judges say the program is popular among some defendants.

“It gives them an opportunity to give back to their community and when they come in with smiles on their faces saying their contributing, it means something to them,” said Butte Justice of the Peace Ben Pezdark.

People usually donate more food than asked.

“When we say 30 cans for food, sometimes we see 50, 60, even 90 cans of food, so it’s a good thing,” said Butte Justice of the Peace Jimm Kilmer.

Here is the Montana law covering this: https://leg.mt.gov/bills/mca/title_0460/chapter_0180/part_0020/section_0010/0460-0180-0020-0010.html

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

Small thing I noticed, this should be for misdemeanors only. Amendment.

Feed the Community from Fines Act
To follow RL Montana's example and have food donations be allowed as payment for a fine

I. Title
a.This bill may be referred to as the "Feed the Community from Fines Act".

II. Allow Donations in Lieu of fines
a. In cases where a party is guilty of a misdemeanor, Aany court under the jurisdiction of the Lincoln Region must permit part or all of a fine to be satisfied by a donation to a food bank program, up to the limit given in Section II, subsection c of this act.
b. Donations are to be made with canned, non-perishable foods, including but not limited to soup, canned vegetables, and canned meats.
c. Each can of food in a donation shall satisfy $5 of a fine, up to a total of $500.

III. Implementation
a. This bill shall go into effect thirty (30) days after signature by the governor.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

Amendment adopted.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

motioning for a final vote

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

No objections being heard, a final vote is open.

[nerd73]

Aye

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

Aye

[Jay 🏳️‍⚧️]

Aye

[Esteemed Jimmy]

Aye

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

48 hours having passed, vote is closed.

This passes 4-0-0-1 and will be sent to the governor for signature.

[Oleg 🇰🇿🤝🇺🇦]

Feed the Community from Fines Act
To follow RL Montana's example and have food donations be allowed as payment for a fine

I. Title
a.This bill may be referred to as the "Feed the Community from Fines Act".

II. Allow Donations in Lieu of fines
a. In cases where a party is guilty of a misdemeanor, any court under the jurisdiction of the Lincoln Region must permit part or all of a fine to be satisfied by a donation to a food bank program, up to the limit given in Section II, subsection c of this act.
b. Donations are to be made with canned, non-perishable foods, including but not limited to soup, canned vegetables, and canned meats.
c. Each can of food in a donation shall satisfy $5 of a fine, up to a total of $500.

III. Implementation
a. This bill shall go into effect thirty (30) days after signature by the governor.

Signed.

Oleg