(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to establish a moratorium on increases in filing fees until January 1, 2008. No fee provided for in this chapter may be changed before January 1, 2008, except as may be required by the following:

(1) Legislative implementation of recommendations of the Task Force on County Law Libraries.

(2) Legislative implementation of recommendations for changes to the graduated filing fee for petitions in probate proceedings under subdivision (a) of Section 70650.

(b) The Judicial Council shall establish a Task Force on Civil Fees, including, but not limited to, representatives from the trial courts, the counties, the county law libraries, and the State Bar. On or before February 1, 2007, the task force shall make recommendations to the Judicial Council and the Legislature on the following:

(1) The effectiveness of the uniform fee structure, any operational or revenue problems, and how to address these issues.

(2) Whether a fee differential should be implemented based on the number of cases a party files in a year.

(3) A process to adjust fees in the future to accommodate inflation and other factors affecting operating costs for trial courts, county law libraries, and county programs that rely on court fees.

(Amended by Stats. 2005, Ch. 706, Sec. 30. Effective January 1, 2006.)