House Study Bill 190
SENATE/HOUSE FILE
BY (PROPOSED GOVERNOR'S
BUDGET BILL)
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 1015XG 83
5 jm/tm/8
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. JUDICIAL BRANCH.
1 2 1. There is appropriated from the general fund of the
1 3 state to the judicial branch for the fiscal year beginning
1 4 July 1, 2009, and ending June 30, 2010, the following amount,
1 5 or so much thereof as is necessary, to be used for the
1 6 purposes designated:
1 7 For salaries of supreme court justices, appellate court
1 8 judges, district court judges, district associate judges,
1 9 associate juvenile judges, associate probate judges, including
1 10 the state's required contribution to the judicial retirement
1 11 fund; salaries of judicial magistrates and staff, state court
1 12 administrators, clerks of the supreme court, district court
1 13 administrators, clerks of the district court, juvenile court
1 14 officers, board of law examiners and board of examiners of
1 15 shorthand reporters and judicial qualifications commission;
1 16 receipt and disbursement of child support payments;
1 17 reimbursement of the auditor of state for expenses incurred in
1 18 completing audits of the offices of the clerks of the district
1 19 court during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009; and
1 20 maintenance, equipment, and miscellaneous purposes:
1 21 .................................................. $163,527,936
1 22 2. The judicial branch, except for purposes of internal
1 23 processing, shall use the current state budget system, the
1 24 state payroll system, and the Iowa finance and accounting
1 25 system in administration of programs and payments for
1 26 services, and shall not duplicate the state payroll,
1 27 accounting, and budgeting systems.
1 28 3. The judicial branch shall submit monthly financial
1 29 statements to the legislative services agency and the
1 30 department of management containing all appropriated accounts
1 31 in the same manner as provided in the monthly financial status
1 32 reports and personal services usage reports of the department
1 33 of administrative services. The monthly financial statements
1 34 shall include a comparison of the dollars and percentage spent
1 35 of budgeted versus actual revenues and expenditures on a
2 1 cumulative basis for full=time equivalent positions and
2 2 dollars.
2 3 4. The judicial branch shall focus efforts upon the
2 4 collection of delinquent fines, penalties, court costs, fees,
2 5 surcharges, or similar amounts.
2 6 5. It is the intent of the general assembly that the
2 7 offices of the clerks of the district court operate in all 99
2 8 counties and be accessible to the public as much as is
2 9 reasonably possible in order to address the relative needs of
2 10 the citizens of each county.
2 11 6. The judicial branch shall continue studying the best
2 12 practices and efficiencies of each judicial district. In
2 13 identifying the most efficient judicial districts and the
2 14 districts using best practices, the judicial branch shall
2 15 consider the average cost to the judicial branch for
2 16 processing each classification of criminal offense or civil
2 17 action and the overall number of cases filed. In addition,
2 18 and as part of the best practices and efficiencies study, the
2 19 judicial branch shall study the number of judicial officers
2 20 needed throughout the state to manage current caseloads and
2 21 anticipated caseloads in the future, and shall make
2 22 recommendations, if any, as to changes in judgeship and
2 23 magistrate apportionment formulas in sections 602.6201,
2 24 602.6301, and 602.6401. The judicial branch shall file a
2 25 report regarding the study made, recommendations presented,
2 26 and actions taken pursuant to this subsection with the
2 27 co=chairpersons and ranking members of the joint
2 28 appropriations subcommittee on the justice system and to the
2 29 legislative services agency by January 1, 2010.
2 30 7. In addition to the requirements for transfers under
2 31 section 8.39, the judicial branch shall not change the
2 32 appropriations from the amounts appropriated to the judicial
2 33 branch in this Act, unless notice of the revisions is given
2 34 prior to their effective date to the legislative services
2 35 agency. The notice shall include information on the branch's
3 1 rationale for making the changes and details concerning the
3 2 workload and performance measures upon which the changes are
3 3 based.
3 4 8. The judicial branch shall submit a semiannual update to
3 5 the legislative services agency specifying the amounts of
3 6 fines, surcharges, and court costs collected using the Iowa
3 7 court information system since the last report. The judicial
3 8 branch shall continue to facilitate the sharing of vital
3 9 sentencing and other information with other state departments
3 10 and governmental agencies involved in the criminal justice
3 11 system through the Iowa court information system.
3 12 9. The judicial branch shall provide a report to the
3 13 general assembly by January 1, 2010, concerning the amounts
3 14 received and expended from the enhanced court collections fund
3 15 created in section 602.1304 and the court technology and
3 16 modernization fund created in section 602.8108, subsection 7,
3 17 during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2008, and ending June
3 18 30, 2009, and the plans for expenditures from each fund during
3 19 the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009, and ending June 30,
3 20 2010. A copy of the report shall be provided to the
3 21 legislative services agency.
3 22 10. The judicial branch is encouraged to purchase products
3 23 from Iowa state industries, as defined in section 904.802,
3 24 when purchases are required and the products are available
3 25 from Iowa state industries. The judicial branch shall obtain
3 26 bids from Iowa state industries for purchases of office
3 27 furniture during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009,
3 28 exceeding $5,000.
3 29 Sec. 2. POSTING OF REPORTS IN ELECTRONIC FORMAT ==
3 30 LEGISLATIVE SERVICES AGENCY. All reports or copies of reports
3 31 required to be provided by the judicial branch for fiscal year
3 32 2009=2010 to the legislative services agency shall be provided
3 33 in an electronic format. The legislative services agency
3 34 shall post the reports on its internet website and shall
3 35 notify by electronic means all the members of the joint
4 1 appropriations subcommittee on the justice system when a
4 2 report is posted. Upon request, copies of the reports may be
4 3 mailed to members of the joint appropriations subcommittee on
4 4 the justice system.
4 5 EXPLANATION
4 6 This bill makes appropriations from the general fund of the
4 7 state for FY 2009-2010 to the judicial branch. Under the
4 8 bill, the state's required contribution to the judicial
4 9 retirement fund is combined with the appropriation for
4 10 salaries, maintenance, equipment, and other miscellaneous
4 11 purposes.
4 12 The bill encourages the judicial branch to purchase
4 13 products produced by Iowa state industries.
4 14 The bill requires the judicial branch to submit all reports
4 15 or copies of reports to the legislative services agency in an
4 16 electronic format.
4 17 LSB 1015XG 83
4 18 jm/tm/8.1