AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- PROCEDURE GENERALLY -- FEES

This bill (SB 317) creates a legal presumption that property owners, tenants, or occupants acted in self-defense without a duty to retreat if they cause injury or death while stopping a violent criminal offense on their premises. It applies specifically when the person committing the violent crime is lawfully present on the property. The bill establishes that such incidents will be rebuttably presumed as self-defense if the occupier reasonably believed the criminal was about to cause great bodily harm or death. This changes the legal standard for self-defense claims in property-related violent crimes but does not alter court fees (as incorrectly referenced in the title/abstract). The bill passed and became law on June 18, 2025.