Title
Title
Allocations and Reimbursements to Trial Courts | Senate Bill 170: Funding for Court Reporters in Family Law and Civil Law Case Types (Action Required)
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Summary
Summary
On September 23, 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 170 into law, which amended the 2021 Budget Act and included $30 million ongoing General Fund to the Judicial Council exclusively for use to establish a methodology to allocate funding to all trial courts to increase the number of court reporters in family law and civil cases. The funding will not supplant existing trial court expenditures on court reporters in family law and civil law cases. The Trial Court Budget Advisory Committee recommends approving a proportional allocation methodology of the ongoing $30 million to all trial courts to increase the number of court reporters in family law and civil law case types effective fiscal year 2021-22.
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Recommendation
Recommendation
The Trial Court Budget Advisory Committee recommends that the Judicial Council, effective January 21, 2022:
1. Approve an allocation methodology that allocates $30 million proportionally to each trial court, based on the most recently published noncriminal assessed judicial need and after a $25,000 funding floor is provided to those courts that fall below the floor amount in the model;
2. Capture a baseline number and associated costs for court reporters in noncriminal case types, effective July 1, 2021, to ensure that these funds are not being used to supplant existing expenditures in these areas, consistent with the requirements in the budget language;
3. Update the assessed judicial need and Schedule 7A data used each year based on the most recent information available at the time of allocation for each fiscal year; and
4. Identify unspent funds for General Fund reversion each fiscal year, as necessary.
This recommendation was presented to the Judicial Branch Budget Committee on December 7, 2021 and approved for consideration by the Judicial Council.
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Speakers
Speakers
Hon. Jonathan B. Conklin, Chair, Trial Court Budget Advisory Committee
Ms. Rebecca J. Fleming, Vice-chair, Trial Court Budget Advisory Committee