68633
. (a) An applicant for an initial fee waiver under subdivision
(a) of Section 68632 shall complete, under penalty of perjury, a
Judicial Council application form requiring the applicant to list his
or her current street address, or another address where the court
can contact the applicant, occupation, employer, and the type of
public benefits that he or she is receiving. At the time the
application is submitted, the applicant shall not be required to
provide documents supporting receipt of public benefits, to provide
evidence of identity, to submit to interviews regarding the applicant'
s financial circumstances, to be physically present to file the
application, or to fill out additional parts of the application form.
(b) An applicant for an initial fee waiver under subdivision (b)
of Section 68632 shall complete, under penalty of perjury, both of
the following:
(1) A Judicial Council application form requiring the applicant to
provide his or her current street address, or another address where
the court can contact the applicant, occupation, and employer.
(2) A financial statement showing monthly or yearly income as
determined under rules, and on forms, adopted by the Judicial
Council. At the time the application is submitted, the applicant
shall not be required to provide documents to prove income,
dependents, or expenses, to provide evidence of identity, to submit
to interviews regarding the applicant's financial circumstances, to
be physically present to file the application, or to fill out
additional parts of the application form.
(c) An applicant for an initial fee waiver under subdivision (c)
of Section 68632 shall complete, under penalty of perjury, both of
the following:
(1) A Judicial Council application form requiring the applicant to
provide his or her current street address, or another address where
the court can contact the applicant, occupation, and employer.
(2) A financial statement showing monthly or yearly income and
expenses and a summary of assets and liabilities as determined under
rules, and on forms, adopted by the Judicial Council. At the time the
application is submitted, the applicant shall not be required to
provide documents to prove income, dependents, or expenses, to
provide evidence of identity, to submit to interviews regarding the
applicant's financial circumstances, or to be physically present to
file the application.
(d) The clerk shall provide forms adopted by the Judicial Council
pursuant to this article without charge to any person who requests
those forms or indicates that he or she is unable to pay any court
fees or costs. An applicant shall not be required to complete any
form as part of his or her application under this article other than
those forms adopted by the Judicial Council.
(e) An applicant for an initial fee waiver shall be informed that,
at a later date, the court may require proof of receipt of benefits
or financial information to verify eligibility, as provided in
Section 68636, and that a trial court may seek reimbursement of
initially waived fees under circumstances set forth in Section 68637.
This notice requirement is satisfied if the information is provided
on the Judicial Council fee waiver application form.
(f) Financial information provided by an applicant shall be kept
confidential by the court. No person shall have access to the
application except the court, authorized court personnel, and any
person authorized by the applicant. No person shall reveal any
information contained in the application except as authorized by law.
Any hearing regarding whether to grant or deny a fee waiver request
shall be held in camera, and the court shall exclude all persons
except court staff, the applicant, those present with the applicant's
consent, and any witness being examined. The fact that an applicant'
s fees and costs have been initially waived and the amount of the
waived fees and costs are not confidential. The Judicial Council
shall adopt procedures to keep the financial information confidential
and to consider a request seeking that confidential information.
(g) Counsel representing an applicant who is filing in a general
jurisdiction civil case pursuant to an agreement that counsel will
advance litigation costs shall indicate that agreement on the
application form. The court shall set a hearing to determine whether
or not the applicant is able to pay court fees without using moneys
that normally would pay for the common necessaries of life. This
subdivision does not apply if the applicant is represented by counsel
for, or affiliated with, a qualified legal services project, as
defined in Section 6213 of the Business and Professions Code.