Bill > SB124

This bill establishes a "felonies first project" to streamline the handling of felony cases and any directly related misdemeanor or violation-level charges by exclusively filing them in the superior court, aiming to improve efficiency and save time for the courts, lawyers, and individuals involved in the legal process. The project will be implemented in phases, starting in Cheshire and Strafford counties on January 1, 2016, and expanding to other counties as ordered by the supreme court, with provisions for the supreme court to adopt rules and issue orders to facilitate this transition. The bill also makes several amendments to existing laws, including changes to how competency evaluations and drug or alcohol dependency assessments are handled, how search warrants are processed, and how appeals from circuit court convictions are managed, all with the goal of aligning with the new felony filing procedures in the superior court.