JAC Agency Hearings JAC Index 12-5-17am1 Tuesday, December 5, 2017 Agenda: AM 101 – Supreme Court 120-142 – District Courts 102 – Law Examiners Board 12/5/2017 8:05:16 AM Chairman of the Day: Senator Burns Roll Call: Don Richards, Quorum established 12/5/2017 8:06:03 AM 101 – Supreme Court, Chief Justice Jim Burke, Kristi Racines, Chief Financial Officer; introduced members of the court in attendance Overview of budget exceptions Sommers: Incarceration rates, comparison to other states Burke: Evidence based sentencing practices, bond setting, and pretrial evidence Sommers: information coming from the prison and incarceration rates Racines: Overview of Judicial branch, 25 different agencies, Supreme Court, Circuit and district courts, law library, board of Law examiners Racines: Pg. SC 1, budget recommendations and summary, over $2M more than supplemental budget, Pg. SC 6, 7 and 8, background info, 3 levels of state courts, circuit, district and Supreme Court, pg. 9 exception requests, pg. 11, 12 Unit 0101, pg. 15 Pro se documents, purchased by the public only form of revenue Sommers: Fee increases noted as we go along Racines: $189K in special fund for Pro Se, pg.18/19, children’s justice project – federal program, 100% fed funds, pg. 20/21, credit card convenience fees, special revenue account, move CC processing to a outside vendor Schwartz: fee change? Racines: not necessarily, dependent on fine Larsen: Children’s Justice Project – is the state getting juveniles in court in a timely manner Edie Troutwein: time to permanent placement has gone down; progress in decrease time for children in court system Burke: positive comments towards Troutwein and her work Racines: pg. 22-24, Equal Justice Wyoming 12/5/2017 8:42:45 AM Fox: access to justice commission, fair and civil justice to citizens for WY, helps provide dollars for lawyers for folks who can’t afford it, Volunteer Reference Attorneys, available to citizens who need guidance in filling out the right forms, etc. Dorsch: Director, EJW, 2011 created, statewide program for low income folks, Unit 0120, 25% below poverty level in state, free legal aid, request for spending authority, no exception requests Larsen: all offices on perimeter of state need to go to the middle Dorsch: expanded to underserved areas Sommers: how many communities served? EJW expands grants awarded trend. Dorsch: region offices serve various/numerous counties surrounding office, Sublette count is served through Rock Springs office Fox: Pro Bono in conjunction with state bar association to serve smaller communities Wilson: clarify free for all or sliding scale; only handle domestic/civil legal matters Dorsch: family law, housing and consumer law, little workers comp non-criminal issues, no fees charged if qualified, see very low income folks, trajectory expansion, max $’s spent, no additional statutory authority needed Burns: representation or advice in divorce cases Dorsch: cannot represent both in same office, will “farm” out one, handout reference – training classes for volunteer attorneys, hold monthly legal advice clinics, puts an attorney in the courthouse twice a month to help folks navigate the court system, expanded to 6 courthouses across the state, on line portal, volunteer attorneys on website, expands legal advice across the state, website popular, divorce and family law difference – domestic violence, divorce included in family law, malpractice insurance covers anyone who volunteers with EJW, demographics - % in state residence vs out of state, most are our residents Burke: positive comments toward Legislature and Angie Dorsch Racines: Pg. 25 – 27, Unit 0201, Judicial nominating Committee, budget pays for travel and office supplies no salaries; pg. 28 -31, Law Library, Unit 0401, legal resources for attorneys and for pro se folks; judicial learning center is housed there; needed volunteers to give tours Schwartz: promoting law library, handling higher numbers Racines: Creative in handling numbers, promoting within paper, competitive lesson plans for teachers throughout state, advertising milestones for visitors Burkhart: 200 series changes question Racines: budget didn’t change, code changes reflected “cleaning up”, Code 0207 Larsen: tours and numbers Raciness: school groups visit, website judicial learning center, tours increase potential when capitol moves back to downtown, fee assessment for lawyers to use – creative option if needed, pg. 32, circuit courts Brian Christensen, Circuit Court judge 7th district, technology use Burkhart: traffic violations majority being handled Christensen: occasional jury trial Schwartz: variations within counties, analyze/impacts of cases handled Christensen: handle a lot of medical cases in Natrona County Landen: SF 84 – court cases, electronic issues, social media Christensen: upward trend in harassment with use of technology, stalking cases 12/5/2017 9:32:41 AM Nicholas: efficiencies w/I judicial branch Christensen: have done a comparison across counties, oversight on supplies and technology Burns: pg. 33. 1 circuit judge in district 4 Christensen: expanding technology so distance court room cases can be handled Racines: efficiencies in supply buying constantly being looked at, pg. 32, div 500, pg. 37, Unit 0501, Common Jury Fund, pay jurors for serving, pg. 39/40, special court magistrates, pg.41/42, equipment budget, pg. 43/44, examination of courts, auditor and accounting analyst, procedure overview, pg. 45 – 82, money transmitted to county from fines to school funding, transmitted to state court costs and fees goes to GF Christensen: have not reviewed fees and fines are even across the counties, $20 court cost fees, Sommers: list of court cost fees would be appreciated compared to other states Racines: Pg. 51, Green River and Rock Springs combining courts, pg. 54-57, no exception requests, pg. 60 through 69, 12/5/2017 10:01:24 AM Break 12/5/2017 10:15:24 AM Racines: pg. 72, Court Technology, Unit 0601, increased fee, 3 exception requests, pg. 77/78 Court Technology Automation Justice Davis and Julie Goyen Davis: spending authority request, improvement of courtroom technology, Unit 0610, hearing assistance devices, etc. courtrooms rated/scaled most very low on scale without basic audio for hearings, partnership with counties to improve courtrooms, county does infrastructure and courts bring money for equipment, minimum set for each courtroom by committee, getting adequate technology coupled with what the state could afford, memo of understanding with each county, fix the worst first, one time expenditure, develop statewide case management system, data collection, system flaws, 2016 Full Court Enterprise, greater efficiency, E-filing will happen, workstation refresh/ operating system upgrade expenditure Sommers: project how much the $25 fee will bring in and what will be left over? Davis: salary funds Goyen: Chief Information Officer, handout discussion, 101-040, moving to cloud Sharpe: Further discussion/explanation of handout, money trail questions, Goyen: efficiencies within court support staff, half million dollars for support systems – contracts Driskill: IT salaries? Goyen: 13 IT locations in Cheyenne Sharpe: 13 employees spread thin with amount of projects in que, will probably use contractors to help roll out new systems, working with district courts, statute changes require manual change in systems within the courts, goal-fully electronic, 12/5/2017 10:59:21 AM Larsen: court maintenance systems Burns: upgrading courthouses around the state, county does infrastructure, county willingness to fund? Davis: bill in system, puts the burden of infrastructure on county and equipment comes from district court budget, discussion ensued Larsen: efficiencies, ETS collaboration Goyen: Courtroom technology unique vs ETS skills, back to handout 101-040, pg. 78 workstation refresh Burkhart: computer stations purchasing dollars Goyen: Jury management system, vendor to help roll out, $100K Wilson: cybersecurity issues/challenges Goyen: security audit done and money set aside Nicholas: using ETS? Goyen: using NASPO pricing, larger buying consortium Racines: Pg. 80 – 82, judicial retirement – benefits requested, unused money reverts Davis: retired judges can sit in active court and not have retired pay affected Racines: pg. 83 – 85, Judicial Policy and Administration, covers unfunded liability annual leave and sick leave buyouts Larsen: how much in account, annual payout Racines: GF, spent $140K, not used in current biennium, spent $6500 to date, retirements pending, accrued leave and sick day buyout, Sommers: any other funds like this around state? Richards: No other examples in other branches of government Tyler: explained court reporter salary and leave accrual Racines: 0207 code, covers entire state, state bar membership for all attorneys in the branch Larsen: why does state pay? Racines: 2007, required to have for you job, the state will pay it, 900 series, biggest expenditure- drug court magistrate Burns: 0221, in state travel went from big dollars to small Racines: more electronic hearings, less travel Walters: pg. 42, why lump sum line item vs split into every court Racines: could do that, efficiencies study indicate it is more money when divided out for reach court, mass buys for each court should indicate less costs and more equipment 12/5/2017 11:42:25 AM Steve Sharpe, District court judge, request budget consideration of a fourth judicial district here in Cheyenne, population of city growth, stressing existing courts with more issues coming to court, each handle 1100 cases a year, need additional courtroom space, vote within county to expand courthouse passed, asking this session to create fourth position and allocate money for judge, diligent case management is happening now but docket size is out growing time and judges available. Asking for over $1M for additional judge and staff 12/5/2017 11:49:58 AM Sharpe, Lily: previous bill states either committee Judicial or appropriations can sponsor bill to create position judge when adequate facilities are available, to date, facility underway Burns: should go to judiciary committee Nicholas: need is great and Judiciary committee doesn’t meet, may take it through appropriations Landen: share situation information with judiciary chairman? Sommers: fee structure to help pay for this new judge? Nicholas: GF required to pay for judges 12/5/2017 11:56:01 AM Lunch break