VERSION 4
                                                       Informational #3
                                                      November 19, 1999
                                                            Page 1 of 1

              HEARING COST INCREASE FOR SUMMARY MOTOR VEHICLE

     Effective January 1, 2000, the hearing cost for a summary motor
vehicle case will increase from $5.00 to $6.00 pursuant to
42 Pa. C.S.A. § 1725.1(f).  In October, Moore Business Forms, the 
supplier of traffic citations, notified all police departments in 
Pennsylvania that new citations, which reflect this $1.00 increase
in the hearing cost, needed to be ordered.  We strongly recommend
that you remind all police officers who file traffic citations in
your District Court that starting January 1, 2000, the new traffic
citation which provides for the $6.00 hearing cost, will need to be
used. 

     The hearing cost increase will affect the District Justice 
System (DJS) in January in two ways.  First, because you may receive
in January citations issued in December of 1999, the hearing cost (CA5)
amount will temporarily allow a variable amount to be recorded. This 
will allow you to record the correct hearing cost for each citation
whether it was issued in 1999 or 2000. 

     Second, after January 1, all references to the hearing cost on 
DJS-produced forms will reflect the new $6.00 amount.  For example, on
DL-38 forms, the dollar amount that prints in the "If a Trial Requested" 
field will use the $6.00 amount beginning January 1.