House Journal: Page 72: Wednesday, January 15, 2003
Online Access: Deferred Judgment Records
Recently, we began a new program that provides direct online access to the state’s
deferred judgment docket for authorized users such as judges, clerks, and county
attorneys. This program places confidential deferred judgment information into the
hands of county attorneys and judges faster. With your help we can improve the
process even more.
We recommend that you pass legislation authorizing access to deferred judgment
records by corrections officers. These officers need this information to complete
sentencing reports. Online access to the records would facilitate their work. We have
submitted a bill to you to accomplish this.
Technology Funds
Clearly, the public is enjoying the fruits of our advances in technology. The online
services I mentioned were accomplished through planning, hard work, and the
dedication of resources. Many years ago, you astutely recognized that innovations of
this magnitude would require a reliable and continuous funding stream, and you
wisely earmarked funds for court technology. Now your foresight is paying off. Despite
our present financial crisis, we’re harnessing information technology to bring court
services to the people, and we can do more.
We have plans to revolutionize the way in which we gather, store, and retrieve
court records through electronic filing and electronic data management. The demand
for this type of service is growing. But it will take a substantial investment of
resources to put this technology in place. We recommend you take two steps to ensure
further advancements in public service through technology: (1) transfer our on-going
technology operating budget from earmarked funds to the general fund; and (2) raise
the cap on the Enhanced Court Collections Fund from $4 million to $6 million.
Court Generated Revenue
The Enhanced Court Collections Fund is derived from court-generated revenue
from fines and fees that exceed the projections of the Revenue Estimating Conference.
We view the collection of fines and fees as an integral part of enforcing court orders.
The diligent efforts of our judges and staff produced a 6% increase in court-generated
revenue last fiscal year. This was certainly a bright note in an otherwise gloomy
revenue picture for the state.
New Judicial Branch Building
I would be remiss not to mention and thank you for our most visible symbol of
progress this year - the new Judicial Branch Building. Although the project has taken
longer than originally anticipated, we are extremely pleased with the results, and we
hope you are too. We are expecting to move into our new quarters later this spring,
and that will free up most of our Capitol space for the General Assembly’s use.
I must admit that, when legislative leaders approached the Court in 1998 about
moving out of the Capitol, we were reluctant to even talk about the idea. After all, our
three branches of government have worked together in the same building for over a
century. On the other hand, the new building will allow us to house all of our offices
© 2003 Cornell College and
League of Women Voters of Iowa
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Last update: Wed Jul 2 14:05:00 CDT 2003
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