The Goa Government introduced the Goa Jan Vishwas (Laws Amendment) Bill, 2026, in the Assembly on January 13. The Bill aims to decriminalise minor offences such as illegal construction, land misuse in waste management zones, encroachments, waste dumping, and obstruction of public spaces. Instead of imprisonment, offenders will face monetary penalties. Sources said, "The Bill is aligned with similar decriminalisation exercises undertaken at the Centre, and is intended to improve administrative efficiency, reduce litigation and allow enforcement agencies to focus on serious offences." The Bill proposes changes to more than a dozen state laws including those on excise, waste management, fire services, land revenue, municipalities, panchayats, public health, and civic administration. It removes criminal liability for minor violations and rationalises fines and penalties. This will reduce the burden on people and businesses by ensuring minor procedural lapses do not lead to criminal prosecution, while still keeping regulatory control with financial deterrents. A key change is replacing jail terms with fines, especially in laws like the Goa Fire Force Act, 1986. For offences in the Goa Waste Management Act, 2016, severe fines running into several lakhs and daily penalties for ongoing violations are proposed without criminal actions. The Goa Municipalities Act, 1968 will see increased fines up to ₹50,000 or ₹1 lakh for illegal constructions, encroachments, waste dumping, sewage discharge, unauthorised commercial activities, and obstruction of public spaces. Repeat offenders will face continuing penalties. The Bill also includes a new rule to increase fines and penalties automatically by 10% every three years. This prevents loss of deterrence due to inflation or delays in law updates. It seeks to repeal the Goa Jan Vishwas (Laws Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 but protects actions already taken under it. The Bill will likely be discussed in detail at a future Assembly session.