HB 2144

Effective January 1, 2027, this bill requires t he administrative office of the courts, under the authority of the supreme court, to develop, implement, and administer a statewide court appearance reminder program for out-of-custody court appearances in criminal and traffic cases for which a failure to appear warrant or sanction may be issued. The purposes of the program include ( i ) r educing the number of missed court appearances; ( ii ) i mproving the efficiency and effectiveness of courts in this state; ( iii ) r educing the issuance of failure to appear wa rrants and related arrests and jail admissions; and ( iv ) c onserving judicial, law enforcement, and correctional resources. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS This bill requires the administrative office of the court s to administer the reminder program in the following manner:  At no cost to defendants .  Automatically enrolling defendants who voluntarily provide a cellular telephone number or electronic mail address, using text message delivery as the default method unless the defendant selects electronic mail .  Send an initial enrollment notice informing the defendant of u pcoming reminders , a vailable language options , and t he ability to opt out at any time .  Provide no fewer than three reminders prior to each scheduled out-of-custody court appearance, including at least one reminder sent on the day before the appearance .  Use clear, plain language and include (i) the date, time, and location of the court appearance; (ii) the court name or address; (iii) the consequences of nonappearance; and (iv) contact information for questions or assistance .  Include virtual appearance links when applicable .  Mail court appearance reminders at least 14 days in advance to defendants who do not provide electronic contact information, including instructions for opting into electronic reminders .  Provide at least one notice within one day after a missed court appearance explaining how to resolve the nonappearance and clear any resulting warrant .  Offer reminders in multiple languages to the extent practicable .  Permit defendants to update contact information and language preferences through publicly accessible means .  Allow courts with existing reminder systems to continue using such systems if the systems meet the requirements of this bill. DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING This bill requires t he administrative office of the courts to collect and maintain data necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of the program, including the ( i ) n umber of eligible court appearances; ( ii ) n umber of defendants enrolled in the program; ( iii ) n umber and type of reminders sent; ( iv ) r ates of court appearance and nonappearance with and without reminders; and ( v ) n umber of failure to appear warrants issued. The administrative office of the courts must use aggregated data collected under this hea ding solely for program evaluation and reporting purposes. PRIVACY AND USE LIMITATIONS This bill prohibits a defendant's refusal to provide a telephone number or electronic mail address from be ing used against the defendant for any purpose. Contact information collected under this bill must be used solely for court notifications, including court appearances, schedule changes, and court closures. Such information must not be used for c riminal investigations , l aw enforcement intelligence , b ail determinations , e vidence in any proceeding , or a ny purpose unrelated to court notification s . IMPLEMENTATION AUTHORITY This bill authorizes the administrative office of the courts to adopt administrative policies and procedures necessary to implement this bill, and to coordinate with clerks of court, judges, law enforcement agencies, and other relevant entities to ensure effective operation of the program.