Judiciary committee reassigns bills during hearing
INDIANAPOLIS--The Senate Judiciary committee spent much of Wednesday morning meeting sending bills to the Appropriations committee, because the bills themselves will likely cost money.
The committee reassigned a total of four bills, by unanimous votes, during the 90-minute meeting.
One of those four was a proposal that creates a sixth Court of Appeals district. The proposed district covers the entire state and would allow the court to take more time on each case.
John Baker, chief judge of the Court of Appeals, cited the importance of a 100 percent clearance rate and said he believes an additional district will bring better outcomes for cases, and the court could continue its outreach program “Appeals on Wheels.” The program allows schools across the state to host a real-life court case.
It’s unlikely to pass because the new district comes with a price tag of $2.2 million, which would come from the court’s budget.
Committee Chair Richard Bray, R-Martinsville, said he was “not optimistic about it happening this year.”
The committee unanimously reassigned the bill to the Senate Appropriations committee.
The committee also reassigned a proposal that would increase automated record keeping fees from $7 to $10.
The extra money would help with a more aggressive installment of a case management system, a way to program the system, and substantial additional projects, said State Supreme Court Justice Frank Sullivan, Jr.
The case management system, Odyssey, would track cases and make it easier for those involved to get a hold of information, he said.
Also on the agenda was a bill to allow a second magistrate in the Allen County court system. The state would have to provide funds for that proposal, too.
