State Rep. Sarah Lightner’s plan to safeguard funding for trial courts throughout Michigan has been signed into law.

Without a change in state law, local courts were set to lose their ability to assess certain costs after May 1, due to a previous Supreme Court Decision. Lightner sponsored House Bill 5392 to allow courts to continue imposing the costs on criminal defendants through December 2026.

“The Supreme Court ruled that the current trial court funding system is broken, and a new system is in the works, but we’re just not there yet,” said Lightner, R-Springport. “My bill ensures our courts can keep operating – allowing a decades-old practice to continue while the Legislature works on a more permanent solution.”

House Bill 5392 received bipartisan support in both the House and Senate before being signed by the governor. It’s now Public Act 38 of 2024.

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