Bill journey · stage 2 of 5
Under committee review
What it doesSummary reported to senate (Mar 15, 2022)
Open Courts Act of 2021
This bill requires the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to establish a single electronic system for all public federal court records that is publicly accessible, free of charge, and does not require registration.
What just happenedMar 15, 2022
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 307.
Who’s behind it
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 307.
Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Durbin with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Durbin with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in Senate
Open Courts Act of 2021
This bill requires the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to establish a single electronic system for all public federal court records that is publicly accessible, free of charge, and does not require registration.
Open Courts Act of 2021
This bill requires the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to establish a single electronic system for all public court records that is publicly accessible for free. Under the existing Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system, users are charged fees for accessing court documents.
To fund the development of the new consolidated system, the Judicial Conference must temporarily establish a schedule of additional fees for higher-volume nongovernmental users of PACER.
To fund the operations of the new system, the Judicial Conference shall collect an annual fee from each federal agency equal to that agency's PACER fees in 2018, adjusted for inflation. The Judicial Conference may also establish reasonable filing fees based on specified factors, including the extent of a person's use and the interests of justice.