Senate Journal: Page 54: Wednesday, January 15, 2003
for the information. Now it’s at their fingertips. A person can search the records by
typing in a name or case number. And the basic service, which provides important
information such as criminal charges, restitution, child support payments, and
criminal sentences, is free. This site has been very popular, attracting 12,000 to 15,000
hits each day.
In September last year, we expanded the service by offering more detailed case
information for a monthly subscription fee of $25. This feature is popular with
lawyers, abstractors, insurance companies, and state and local government agencies.
E-Pay
Before long, we’ll be adding another feature: e-pay. E-pay will allow people to pay
their fines and court costs online. We hope the convenience of paying online will
encourage people to pay their fines promptly.
The benefits of our online services are two-fold: they serve as convenient tools for
citizens, and they ease the burden on clerks’ offices. The time that clerks’ offices used
to spend retrieving records has been freed up for other priorities.
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.
© 2003 Cornell College and
League of Women Voters of Iowa
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