Sponsors (3)
The bill raises new, predictable revenue for victims and court programs by imposing a $5,000 flat assessment on non‑indigent convicted persons, but it risks imposing disproportionate financial harm on lower‑income defendants, possible double penalties for entities, and added administrative burdens on courts.
Victims of covered offenses and court programs will receive additional funding because courts will collect a $5,000 flat assessment from non-indigent convicted persons/entities.
Courts and administrators will have a uniform, predictable additional penalty for covered offenses, simplifying assessment calculations and enforcement.
Lower-income (but technically non-indigent) defendants will be disproportionately harmed by a flat $5,000 assessment, increasing financial hardship and creating barriers to reentry.
Non-indigent people convicted of the listed crimes will face an additional $5,000 financial burden on top of existing assessments and penalties.
The assessment may double‑penalize entities already subject to fines or civil liability for the same conduct, raising fairness and rights concerns for affected businesses/entities.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires courts to impose an additional $5,000 special assessment on any non-indigent person or entity convicted of specified trafficking-related offenses.
Requires federal courts to impose an additional flat $5,000 special assessment on any non-indigent person or entity convicted of certain trafficking-related offenses. It adds this new monetary assessment to the existing court assessment scheme while preserving the current indigence exception and the remainder of the statute's existing structure.
Introduced July 31, 2025 by John Cornyn · Last progress December 11, 2025