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Open Courts Act of 2021

Introduced: November 3, 2021 Introduced by: Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" Democratic · Georgia See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 117th Congress ended
It never became law before the 117th Congress (2021–2022) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Nov 1, 2022
Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.
Nov 3, 2021
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Nov 3, 2021
Introduced in House
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Open Courts Act of 2021

This bill requires the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to establish a single electronic system for all public court records that is publicly accessible for free. Under the existing Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system, users are charged fees for accessing court documents.

To fund the development of the new consolidated system, the Judicial Conference must temporarily establish a schedule of additional fees for higher-volume nongovernmental users of PACER.

To fund the operations of the new system, the Judicial Conference shall collect an annual fee from each federal agency equal to that agency's PACER fees in 2018, adjusted for inflation. The Judicial Conference may also establish reasonable filing fees based on specified factors, including the extent of a person's use and the interests of justice.

What's happening now November 1, 2022

Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • S 2614 Identical bill Open Courts Act of 2021
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
 Cosponsors 1
All 1 Republican 1
R
Issa, Darrell
California · Nov 3, 2021
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 5844: Open Courts Act of 2021. 117th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-5844/
MLA
"H.R. 5844: Open Courts Act of 2021." 117th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-5844/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 5844, 117th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-5844/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 5844: Open Courts Act of 2021](https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-5844/)
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