Title
Title
Allocations and Reimbursements to Trial Courts | Funding for Court Reporters (Action Required)
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Summary
Summary
Senate Bill 170 (Stats. 2021, ch. 240), which amended the Budget
Act of 2021, included $30 million ongoing General Fund to the
Judicial Council for establishing a methodology to allocate funding
to all trial courts to increase the number of court reporters in family
law and civil cases. The budget language in the 2022 Budget Act
and ongoing expanded the use of this funding but did not affect how
these funds are allocated to the courts. The May Revision for the
fiscal year (FY) 2024-25 budget reduced the level of funding to
$20 million ongoing but has no impact on how these funds could
be used. The Trial Court Budget Advisory Committee recommends
approving a proportional allocation of the ongoing $20 million to all
trial courts for FY 2024-25.
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Recommendation
Recommendation
The Trial Court Budget Advisory Committee recommends that the
Judicial Council, effective July 12, 2024, approve the following:
1. Allocate the $20 million to the trial courts on a proportional basis
using the council-approved methodology with updated Assessed
Judicial Need data based on the 2022 Judicial Needs Assessment
as outlined in Attachment A; and
2. Direct Judicial Council staff to survey the courts after allocations
are distributed to the trial courts, no later than midyear of fiscal
year 2024-25, for a one-time redistribution of unspent funds to
ensure the full appropriation is maximized to increase the number
of court reporters in family law and civil cases.
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