HB1603

House Bill 1603 amends Arkansas law regarding the priority of installment payments made by criminal defendants in circuit court. The bill mandates that installment payments must first be applied toward the full satisfaction of court costs. Once court costs are fully paid, subsequent payments are to be applied to restitution, followed by any applicable fines as dictated by existing state code. If all of these financial obligations are met, any additional payments are to be allocated to other remaining court-ordered debts. The bill also includes a grandfather clause allowing municipal or county governing bodies that established alternative payment allocation methods before January 1, 2017, to maintain those systems until they are repealed.