In a Jan. 17 press release, Whitmer announced that she had signed a series of bills, including House Bill 5046, which increases the fee that court recorders are able to charge per page.

The bill analysis from the Senate Fiscal Agency states that fees will increase from $1.75 per original page and 30 cents per page per copy to $3.75 per original page and 90 cents per page per copy. The bill prescribes a minimum charge of $50 for an original transcript.

The text of the bill states that on Jan. 1, 2030, and on Jan. 1 of every fifth year after 2030, the state treasurer shall adjust the amounts in this subsection to reflect the cumulative annual percentage change in the Consumer Price Index and publish the adjusted amounts.

This would adjust fees that court recorders are able to charge for inflation every five years, according to the Senate Fiscal Agency bill analysis.

Courtesy Photo A sign reads "Support House Bill 5046."

Jodi Gordon, president of the Michigan Electronic Court Recorders Association, played a role in passing the bill.

In January 2023, MECRA, along with the Michigan Association of Professional Court Reporters and the Michigan Association of Freelance Court Reporters, partnered up to create the legislation that became House Bill 5046, Gordon said in an email. Representative Nate Shannon from Michigan District 58 sponsored the bill.

“For 38 years we’ve been trying to do this,” Gordon said. “You wouldn’t think that someone from northern Michigan would be involved in something so big. It shows how important this is for everyone.”

Court recorders are typically employed in one of three occupations.

The first is an official court reporter, where an individual’s main role is to prepare transcripts during and after court proceedings, according to an email sent by Gordon. In this role, a court reporter would receive a base pay on top of any of their earnings from transcripts.

Official court recorders fulfill roles such as clerk, judicial secretary, docket scheduler, and Zoom operator or coordinator. They prepare their transcripts after hours and on weekends since they spend a large portion of their daytime work hours in the courtroom and fulfilling their other job duties. Professionals in this occupation also receive base pay on top of their transcript earnings.

Some court recorders work as freelancers, either with a firm or as an individual. They work with courts and law firms to prepare transcripts that are either under contract with a court or a rotation list managed by the court.

Freelance reporters may also obtain their work through individuals seeking transcripts for court proceedings and appeals. The per-page rate is their sole form of compensation.

Gordon said that the average pace of a recorder is one page per minute. If a recorder works a six-hour day, they would write approximately 360 pages.

If someone were to request an original transcript for all those pages, recorders could charge $630 before House Bill 5046. When the bill goes into effect on April 2, recorders will be able to charge $1,350 for the same number of pages.

“This movement is so surreal for many in this prominently female-dominated field,” Gordon stated in an email.

Reagan Voetberg can be reached at 989-358-5683 or rvoetberg@TheAlpenaNews.com.