Senate File 435
SENATE FILE
BY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
(SUCCESSOR TO SSB 1181)
Passed Senate, Date Passed House, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to and making appropriations to the judicial
2 branch.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
4 TLSB 1126SV 80
5 jm/cl/14
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. JUDICIAL BRANCH. There is appropriated from
1 2 the general fund of the state to the judicial branch for the
1 3 fiscal year beginning July 1, 2003, and ending June 30, 2004,
1 4 the following amount, or so much thereof as is necessary, to
1 5 be used for the purposes designated:
1 6 For salaries of supreme court justices, appellate court
1 7 judges, district court judges, district associate judges,
1 8 judicial magistrates and staff, state court administrator,
1 9 clerk of the supreme court, district court administrators,
1 10 clerks of the district court, juvenile court officers, board
1 11 of law examiners and board of examiners of shorthand reporters
1 12 and judicial qualifications commission, receipt and
1 13 disbursement of child support payments, reimbursement of the
1 14 auditor of state for expenses incurred in completing audits of
1 15 the offices of the clerks of the district court during the
1 16 fiscal year beginning July 1, 2003, and maintenance,
1 17 equipment, and miscellaneous purposes:
1 18 .................................................. $113,354,603
1 19 1. The judicial branch, except for purposes of internal
1 20 processing, shall use the current state budget system, the
1 21 state payroll system, and the Iowa finance and accounting
1 22 system in administration of programs and payments for
1 23 services, and shall not duplicate the state payroll,
1 24 accounting, and budgeting systems.
1 25 2. The judicial branch shall submit monthly financial
1 26 statements to the legislative fiscal bureau and the department
1 27 of management containing all appropriated accounts in the same
1 28 manner as provided in the monthly financial status reports and
1 29 personal services usage reports of the department of revenue
1 30 and finance. The monthly financial statements shall include a
1 31 comparison of the dollars and percentage spent of budgeted
1 32 versus actual revenues and expenditures on a cumulative basis
1 33 for full=time equivalent positions and dollars.
1 34 3. The judicial branch shall focus efforts upon the
1 35 collection of delinquent fines, penalties, court costs, fees,
2 1 surcharges, or similar amounts.
2 2 4. It is the intent of the general assembly that the
2 3 offices of the clerks of the district court operate in all
2 4 ninety=nine counties and be accessible to the public as much
2 5 as is reasonably possible in order to address the relative
2 6 needs of the citizens of each county.
2 7 5. In addition to the requirements for transfers under
2 8 section 8.39, the judicial branch shall not change the
2 9 appropriations from the amounts appropriated to the judicial
2 10 branch in this Act, unless notice of the revisions is given
2 11 prior to their effective date to the legislative fiscal
2 12 bureau. The notice shall include information on the branch's
2 13 rationale for making the changes and details concerning the
2 14 work load and performance measures upon which the changes are
2 15 based.
2 16 6. The judicial branch shall submit a semiannual update to
2 17 the legislative fiscal bureau specifying the amounts of fines,
2 18 surcharges, and court costs collected using the Iowa court
2 19 information system since the last report. The judicial branch
2 20 shall continue to facilitate the sharing of vital sentencing
2 21 and other information with other state departments and
2 22 governmental agencies involved in the criminal justice system
2 23 through the Iowa court information system.
2 24 7. The judicial branch shall provide a report to the
2 25 general assembly by January 1, 2004, concerning the amounts
2 26 received and expended from the enhanced court collections fund
2 27 created in section 602.1304 and the court technology and
2 28 modernization fund created in section 602.8108, subsection 5,
2 29 during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2002, and ending June
2 30 30, 2003, and the plans for expenditures from each fund during
2 31 the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2003, and ending June 30,
2 32 2004. A copy of the report shall be provided to the
2 33 legislative fiscal bureau.
2 34 8. The supreme court, in consultation with the Iowa state
2 35 bar association and district judges, shall study methods to
3 1 achieve efficiency and cost savings within the judicial
3 2 branch. The state public defender, juvenile probation
3 3 officers, clerks of the district court, the legal services
3 4 corporation of Iowa, the supervisors affiliate of the Iowa
3 5 state association of counties, the judicial district
3 6 department of correctional services, the Iowa county attorneys
3 7 association, and other interested departments, agencies, or
3 8 organizations may each file a report with the supreme court
3 9 detailing their recommendations on achieving efficiency and
3 10 cost savings within the judicial branch by October 1, 2003.
3 11 The study shall include recommendations on the best practices
3 12 for court administration, utilizing court personnel including
3 13 judges, magistrates, and clerks of the district court,
3 14 customer service and delivery of court services, measuring of
3 15 performance and performance=based budgeting, and judicial
3 16 district redistricting. The supreme court, after consulting
3 17 with the Iowa state bar association and the district judges,
3 18 and after reviewing the reports filed by the interested
3 19 departments, agencies, or organizations, shall submit a report
3 20 with findings and recommendations to the general assembly by
3 21 December 15, 2003.
3 22 Sec. 2. JUDICIAL RETIREMENT FUND. There is appropriated
3 23 from the general fund of the state to the judicial retirement
3 24 fund for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2003, and ending
3 25 June 30, 2004, the following amount, or so much thereof as is
3 26 necessary, to be used for the purpose designated:
3 27 Notwithstanding section 602.9104, for the state's
3 28 contribution to the judicial retirement fund in the amount of
3 29 8.4 percent of the basic salaries of the judges covered under
3 30 chapter 602, article 9:
3 31 .................................................. $ 2,039,664
3 32 Sec. 3. APPOINTMENT OF CLERK OF COURT. The appointment of
3 33 a clerk of the district court shall not occur unless the state
3 34 court administrator approves the appointment.
3 35 Sec. 4. POSTING OF REPORTS IN ELECTRONIC FORMAT ==
4 1 LEGISLATIVE FISCAL BUREAU. All reports or copies of reports
4 2 required to be provided by the judicial branch for fiscal year
4 3 2003=2004 to the legislative fiscal bureau shall be provided
4 4 in an electronic format. The legislative fiscal bureau shall
4 5 post the reports on its internet site and shall notify by
4 6 electronic means all the members of the joint appropriations
4 7 subcommittee on the justice system when a report is posted.
4 8 Upon request, copies of the reports may be mailed to members
4 9 of the joint appropriations subcommittee on the justice
4 10 system.
4 11 EXPLANATION
4 12 This bill makes appropriations for FY 2003=2004 to the
4 13 judicial branch.
4 14 The bill includes a reduction in the percentage of the
4 15 state's contribution to the judicial retirement fund for FY
4 16 2003=2004.
4 17 The bill provides that the appointment of a clerk of the
4 18 district court shall not occur unless the state court
4 19 administrator approves such an appointment.
4 20 LSB 1126SV 80
4 21 jm/cl/14