Bill > HB1235

This bill mandates that if a clerk of court's office already uses an online payment system to collect court fines, fees, or costs, it must also allow restitution payments to be made through that same system. Restitution refers to money a defendant is ordered to pay to a victim as part of a court sentence. The bill clarifies that this requirement does not force a clerk's office to create a new online payment system if one doesn't already exist. Additionally, the bill calls for a work group, coordinated by the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia, to study and recommend improvements for modernizing court payment systems across all Virginia general district and circuit courts, with a report due by November 1, 2026.