The Michigan House recently approved and sent to the Senate legislation that would allow courts to maintain electronic records and utilize electronic court filings.
The bill removes the restriction against electronic records and will allow courts to determine the best method for record-keeping and filing.
“This bill would make the courts more accessible to the people of Michigan and helps bring us into the 21st century,” state Rep. Kurt Heise, R-Plymouth, who is also an attorney and introduced the legislation. “Electronic court records make navigation of the legal process more efficient, and it will cut costs.”
The goal, he said, was “to allow for modernization of our courts and make them more user-friendly, just as we are mandating in every area of government.”
State Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert P. Young Jr. said the bill was “important to the courts’ technological future.
“The Supreme Court has long supported e-filing; people routinely shop and do business on line and they should also have electronic access to the courts,” he said. “This bill is a good step toward that goal. We want courts working smarter for a better Michigan; technology is an essential part of that effort.”
Heise said the bill would allow courts to retain court records electronically, allow citizens to access them electronically and allow the filing of documents over the Internet.
The legislation would not place a mandate on the courts, he said, but allow them to make the best and most cost-effective and efficient choices for themselves.
“This bill is a common-sense change that will modernize our courts and make them more efficient and effective,” Heise said. “It will give the courts the flexibility needed to make
their records and filing processes easier and therefore make the courts work better for the people of Michigan."
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