Transcript Highlights:

• Same thing for our court system.
• Conduct, the Office of Court Administration of the Texas judicial system.
• The State Law Library, the Texas Judicial Council, the Judicial Branch Certification Commission, the
• The attorney discipline system also has a system of checks and balances built into it.
• It's the appellate body of the grievance system.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:02:39.599> Judiciary Grove uh I served on a judici Judiciary Grove uh I served on a judici
• investment in the state's justice system investment in the state's justice system in<00:14:28.440
• Judiciary earlier this year the judicial Judiciary earlier this year the judicial Council<00:16:
• I would like to see so many other things done within the judicial system, especially in the Family Court
• electronic system.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This system is critical to... ...that we have called the summary reporting system.
• But the system has limitations.
• And we do that through case management systems that are deployed in each of our judicial circuits.
• There's 20 judicial circuits.
• And then the Chief Justice has tasked the Judicial Management Council with looking at system-wide performance

Summary: The committee first heard an update from the Florida Department of Corrections on the proposed Lake Correctional Institution mental health project in Clermont. Tim Fitzgerald explained the project’s history, including the 2016 Disability Rights Florida litigation, the 2018 consent decree, and the original plan for a 550-bed inpatient mental health facility. He said inflation and design changes pushed the project above the bond amount, leading the department to shift to a “continuum of care” alternative with 572 beds total: 92 inpatient beds and 480 residential treatment beds in three special housing units. Fitzgerald said the project is currently paused pending House concurrence, while the Senate has already agreed to the alternate plan, and noted the bond balance, prior expenditures, and the need to spend down the tax-exempt bond by August 2026. Members questioned how the new plan differs from the original facility, whether it satisfies the consent decree, and what caused the cost increases. Fitzgerald said the department believes it has already met the consent decree through systemwide improvements to housing, staffing, programming, and out-of-cell time, though he said he would confirm the court documentation. He also said the original scope grew from 275,000 to 350,000 square feet as treatment, nursing, security, and programming needs were refined, and that inflation, fees, permitting, and contingencies contributed to the higher cost. Several members asked for follow-up information on Senate approval, consent decree documentation, and the project’s impact on crisis-stabilization capacity. The committee then received a joint court-system presentation from State Courts Administrator Eric McClure and Clerks Corporation Executive Director Jason Welty on caseload trends, case tracking, and staffing. McClure described statewide filing trends, the use of weighted caseload studies to certify judicial need, and recent Supreme Court rule changes aimed at active civil case management, including differentiated case tracks, stricter deadlines, and proportional discovery. He said the latest workload study led the Supreme Court to certify a need for 23 circuit judges and 25 county judges. Welty reviewed clerk workload trends, the statewide case maintenance and CCIS systems, and declining clerk FTE despite rising case volumes, and said clerks are seeking additional funding for injunctions, Baker Act/Marchman Act/sexually violent predator work, and juror management. In questions, members pressed both presenters on data quality, case-weight calculations, filing fees, and whether current resources are enough to reduce delays. McClure clarified that the workload weights are based on judge time studies and that a capital murder case averaged 3,177 minutes, while other examples such as auto negligence and dissolution cases were much lower. Welty said the Legislature could help by increasing funding or potentially revisiting filing fees, and noted that many clerk services are unfunded or underfunded, especially indigent and protective filings. The chair and members also raised concerns about backlog, inconsistent case reporting across circuits, and enforcement of judicial time standards; McClure said there is no direct sanction in the rules, and compliance is largely managed through chief judges and the Supreme Court. The meeting ended with no votes taken and adjournment by motion.

Transcript Highlights:

• We existed within the judicial branch until 1999.
• The reason for which the council put together this Judicial College.
• And it is $60,000 for that five-day judicial college training.
• The justice system was a much more isolated system at that time. We really functioned on our own.
• But there's a real world that surrounds all of that legal system.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think this bill is unnecessary and weakens transparency and sunshine in our judicial system.
• <01:24:00.320> Now,<01:24:01.120> Judge<01:24:01.440> Guthman judicial system
• Now, Judge Guthman judicial system.
• It's kept permanently, and there's like a 10 to 15% turnover in the judicial system of employees.
• It's kept permanently, and there's like a 10 to 15% turnover in the judicial system of employees.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• :14:18.320> the board of judicial standards, the board of judicial standards, the committee<00
• Our courts are not simply system.
• lease cost at the Minnesota Judicial lease cost at the Minnesota Judicial Center.<00:30:29.360><
• the legislative session, our judicial the legislative session, our judicial branch<00:31:38.240>
• capacity within the system. So, so the capacity within the system.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The conference committee met late on Friday evening to discuss the Public Safety and Judiciary budget agreement, beginning with a brief exchange among members about concerns that the executive branch had been delaying the committee’s work by waiting to approve legislative decisions. Members emphasized that the legislature should retain its independence while still allowing normal collaboration with the governor’s office. The committee then moved through several outstanding policy items and adopted them without opposition, including the A38 amendment addressing data-sharing concerns involving disability-related information, a study of firefighting services by the state fire marshal, and an A46 amendment governing access to unredacted portable recording system data in collision investigations, with guardrails on disclosure and use. The committee next reviewed the spreadsheet and budget targets. Fiscal staff explained the judiciary side of the agreement, including funding for court operating costs, a one-time Justice Partner Access Program appropriation, forensic exam rate increases, guardian ad litem funding, public defense, human rights, the competency attainment board, the cannabis expungement board, and fee increases for civil filings and motions. On the public safety side, staff described the target as well as the discretionary items funded, including nonprofit security grants, BCA staffing changes, fire marshal initiatives, a 10-year arson statute of limitations, prosecutor training grants, legal representation for children, E911 funding for critical infrastructure, Philando Castile Training Fund support, corrections-related savings from the Stillwater phased closure and sentence-to-serve elimination, a mandatory minimums task force, a victims of crime account transfer, a decommissioning study, in-service use-of-force training, and extensions of several expiring appropriations. The committee also noted a correction to a spreadsheet label related to the Stillwater closure item. After the spreadsheet walkthrough, the committee took testimony from Chief Justice Natalie Hudson and State Court Administrator Jeff Shorban on behalf of the Minnesota Judicial Branch. Hudson thanked the committee for its work and said the agreement covers some unavoidable costs, including insurance, lease expenses, forensic examiner pay, and the new access system, but argued it does not adequately address the judiciary’s most urgent problem: staffing and judicial compensation. She said court employees are leaving for better-paying jobs, judicial salaries are frozen for two years, and applicant pools for judgeships have declined, especially in greater Minnesota. She also said the judicial branch was not meaningfully consulted on the budget target and urged lawmakers to recognize the courts as a constitutional obligation rather than a discretionary program.

Transcript Highlights:

• as it came to us from judicial budget as as it came to us from the<00:04:27.360> judicial<00:
• She added that the judicial branch is a branch of government with an important role in ensuring the system
• system.
• crucial protections to for our judicial crucial protections to for our judicial system.<00:40:43.920
• Um I'm not sure why system.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House File 3874, the Judiciary budget bill, and first moved it to the Ways and Means Committee. The bill was described as funding the judicial branch’s budget request, including courthouse and judge security measures, home safety for judges and staff, a $1 million courthouse safety grant program, and funding related to paid family and medical leave costs that the courts must absorb. A court administrator explained that some base adjustments were budget-neutral internal shifts within the court system, moving money from district courts to other courts to better meet overall needs. Members then debated several amendments. The A7 amendment, which reduced some of the requested security funding for administrators and aligned it more closely with legislative security levels while retaining flexible Supreme Court security personnel, was adopted. The A1 amendment, which would have deleted the additional operating adjustment for paid family and medical leave, failed on a 7-7 tie after debate over whether the courts should bear the employer share of that cost and whether the program itself was an unfunded mandate. The A2 amendment, also related to paid family and medical leave funding, likewise failed on a 7-7 tie after similar discussion about the judiciary’s ongoing employment costs and the branch’s inability to raise its own revenue. The committee then adopted the A4 amendment, which increased the courthouse safety grant program from $1 million to $4 million. Supporters said there was unmet demand for courthouse security grants and that the money would help with hardware such as screening equipment, while the court administrator said the branch would not spend more than it could use and that the grants would be reviewed by a committee including law enforcement and county representatives. The administrator noted the funding would be one-time money and would not cover staffing costs. The committee also discussed the judiciary’s ongoing need for funding, with members arguing both that the courts should be treated like other employers and that the judicial branch, as an independent branch of government, must be funded by the legislature. The final A5 amendment was then introduced, with staff noting it would delete a section already covered by the adopted A7 amendment and reduce an appropriation on page four, line 14.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have been in touch with the community college system, the university system, and other educational
• And so we want to make sure that the community college system and the university system and the other
• system.
• have checks and balances on the judicial have checks and balances on the judicial system.<01:58:
• That's the judicial privileges. >> Right. That's the judicial privileges.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We believed that the judicial system only works when everybody has access to counsel and that it was
• system, I think, crumble.
• We believed that the judicial system only works when everybody has access to counsel and that it was
• system, I think, crumble.
• Judicial records are presumptively public.

Summary: The committee heard several bills focused on civil rights, family law, privacy, housing, and artificial intelligence. SB 477 would clarify FEHA procedures for the Civil Rights Department, including tolling deadlines by agreement and updating complaint definitions; it drew some concern about venue and convenience but was moved forward. SB 450 would confirm California jurisdiction over adoption proceedings for children born in the state even if families have moved away, and would require all legal parents to be listed on adoption orders; it received strong support, especially from LGBTQ family advocates, and passed to Appropriations. SB 683 would clarify that people whose name, image, or likeness is misused may seek TROs or injunctions under existing publicity-rights law; opposition from media and First Amendment groups focused on the 48-hour compliance default and speech concerns, but the bill advanced as amended to Privacy and Consumer Protection. The committee also considered SB 11, the AI Abuse Protection Act, which would regulate voice, image, and video cloning technology, require warnings, and direct the Judicial Council to develop evidence standards for AI; it passed to Public Safety. SCR 66, a resolution designating May 1 as Law Day and emphasizing the rule of law, was adopted unanimously after supportive comments from members. SB 808 would create expedited judicial review for housing permit denials that violate state law; supporters said it would reduce costly delay and help housing production, while the Judicial Council opposed it as imposing unreasonable timelines and staffing burdens. The bill passed to Appropriations despite concerns about court resources and broader housing-law issues. The committee then took up two privacy bills from Senator Wiener. SB 59 would automatically keep confidential court records for adult and retroactive gender/name change petitions, expanding protections previously enacted for minors; supporters described real-world doxxing and harassment, while opponents raised First Amendment and public-records objections, and the bill passed to Appropriations. SB 497 would require warrants for out-of-state law enforcement access to California prescription monitoring data, expand transgender shield protections for gender-affirming care records, and bar certain disclosures without legal process; the author framed it as a response to out-of-state anti-trans enforcement, and the bill was presented with support from trans advocacy groups.

Transcript Highlights:

• > and<00:02:57.280> security So, judicial branch safety and security So, judicial branch
• . um the judicial is our top priority. um the judicial council,<00:03:01.599> our<00:03:01.840
• committee and the judicial branch. committee and the judicial branch. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks.
• Operation of the no-fault system.
• participate fully in the justice system. participate fully in the justice system.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There's too many vulnerable things in that system, and they are all here to talk about the system that
• We need people that know what they're doing to make our systems talk to our law enforcement agency systems
• We're doing what we can to divert individuals out of the judicial system.
• January 1st is the CMO for the first judicial district.
• system works.

Transcript Highlights:

• home case mix classification system. home case mix classification system.
• But now we're talking about a broken system. We can always leave a broken system in place.
• But now we're talking about a broken system. We can always leave a broken system in place.
• The judicial panel has got the authority to release anybody from SOP through the court system, not the
• The judicial panel has got the authority to release anybody from SOP through the court system, not the

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• System.
• immunity, that the claimant had an opportunity to challenge the order through the judicial system, and
• immunity, that claimant had an opportunity to challenge the order through the judicial system, and that
• The scope of absolute judicial immunity is limited.
• Absolute judicial immunity applies only to acts that are judicial in nature and acts taken within the

Summary: The committee first reviewed litigation reports from the Department of Labor and Licensing involving wage claims brought under the Arkansas Minimum Wage Act. Members questioned the department’s authority, jurisdiction, use of attorney fees and costs, and whether defendants had to be licensed. The department explained it has long enforced wage and overtime laws, that the claims were small-dollar cases handled by investigators and counsel, and that one case had been paid and dismissed while others were unresolved or had service issues. The committee voted to review or batch-file the labor cases after discussion. The University of Arkansas System then reported three pending lawsuits: an age- and race-discrimination claim by a tenured professor that was resolved early; an ADA/FMLA retaliation claim by a former employee that survived in part on a motion to dismiss and was moving into discovery; and a Section 1983 claim against a UAMS sergeant arising from a parking-ticket dispute, with the university explaining that only punitive damages could create personal exposure for the officer. The committee reviewed each report and voted to accept them. The Department of Finance and Administration presented a proposed tax settlement reducing a sales-and-use tax assessment from about $48,000 to $20,000 and waiving interest and penalties, which the committee approved for review. The Claims Commission then presented several claims: an unpaid salary differential for a Department of Health employee, reissued warrants, unpaid DHS bills, and multiple negotiated settlements involving ATRS, UAMS, Arkansas State Police, and ARDOT. Members approved or affirmed most of these items, including a $65,000 settlement in the Tetronics/ATRS matter, a $150,000 medical-negligence settlement, and several vehicle-accident settlements. The most extended debate involved a tax-delinquent property sale claim by Sharon Greer and relatives. The claimant argued they were not properly notified and sought the $4,200 excess from the 2009 sale. Land Commissioner counsel explained the excess had escheated to the county after the statutory claim period expired, while members debated sovereign immunity, standing, heirs, and whether the committee could or should award money anyway. The committee ultimately chose to hold the matter over for further review in a future joint session rather than decide it immediately. The committee also heard appeals from dismissed claims, including a UAMS medical-negligence claim, a land-sale notice claim, a pothole claim against ARDOT, and a judicial-immunity claim against the Court of Appeals; most dismissals were affirmed, and the Simpson matter was held over for additional review after the claimant testified.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, you—the judicial system is a separate branch of government, and I have deep respect for what you're
• Um, you—the judicial system is a separate branch of government, and I have deep respect for what you're
• Um, you—the judicial system is a separate branch of government, and I have deep respect for what you're
• Um, you—the judicial system is a separate branch of government, and I have deep respect for what you're
• Um, you—the judicial system is a separate branch of government, and I have deep respect for what you're

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The committee began a work session on House Bill 1600, concerning access to the centralized voter registration database on election days. Secretary of State David Scanlan testified that the state already has a new statewide voter registration system connected to town clerks and supervisors of the checklist, and that the bill was probably unnecessary but acceptable if the legislature wanted it. He raised concern about language that could require direct electronic access in every polling place, noting that some polling locations lack reliable internet or cell service and that municipalities can change polling locations, which could make a rigid requirement expensive and impractical. Members discussed whether the bill should be clarified to allow direct or indirect access, including use of a phone-based workaround, and the secretary said that would address his concern. The committee then voted on HB 1600. Representative Maguire moved ought to pass with an amendment adding “direct or indirect access” on page one, line seven, and the motion was seconded. The amendment was adopted 9-0 by voice vote, and the committee then voted 9-0 to OTP the bill. The chair stated that HB 1600 would be placed on consent. The committee next took up House Bill 1197F FN, a technical correction to insurance laws. Members noted it had already passed the House with amendment and that the fiscal note was effectively indeterminate but would not affect the general fund because the insurance agency is self-funded. The committee voted 9-0 to OTP the bill; the chair said consent calendar placement would be decided by the full committee. Finally, the committee opened a work session on House Bill 11:30 FN regarding judicial performance evaluations. Representative Lynn, the bill’s sponsor, argued that the fiscal note overstated the immediate cost and said the judicial branch could likely manage through the current biennium while implementing the new system. He also supported making judges’ names public and said the bill’s anonymity provisions were aimed at protecting the identities of questionnaire respondents, not the judges being evaluated. Members asked about public disclosure, internal access to evaluation materials, and the removal of language allowing the governor and executive council to receive evaluations on request; discussion continued on those points, but no final vote on HB 11:30 FN was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• This issue was under the auspices of the Judicial Branch's Judicial Management Council and was brought
• So our systems, their case maintenance systems, where they maintain court records, must talk to our case
• The next issue is managing judicial and court staff safety, and as you The next issue is managing judicial
• the system, and I... ...huge strong points throughout the system, and I think we're making good progress
• clerks' corporation and their data system being totally different from the court's system's data system

Summary: The committee first heard HB 133, which would lower the minimum age to purchase a long gun from 21 to 18. The sponsor said the bill restores the rights of law-abiding 18-year-olds. Public testimony was sharply divided, with supporters from Gun Owners of America and Florida Carry arguing that adults 18 and older should have equal Second Amendment rights and that current law is inconsistent with other adult responsibilities, while opponents, including gun violence prevention advocates, students, parents, and Parkland-related speakers, said the bill would reverse a post-Parkland safety measure and increase risks of suicide, accidental shootings, and school violence. Several members debated the bill, with opponents emphasizing Parkland, the Florida State shooting, and public polling showing broad opposition; supporters stressed parental responsibility, mental health, and constitutional rights. HB 133 was then reported favorably on a roll call vote of 13 yeas, with several members voting no. The committee then took up CS/HB 289, which would revise Florida’s wrongful death law to allow parents to recover damages for the death of an unborn child. The sponsor said the bill is intended to let grieving parents seek civil remedies, and members questioned how it would apply in situations involving surrogacy, rape, ectopic pregnancy, medical care, and damages calculations. The sponsor said the bill would not allow suits against the mother, would not apply to lawful non-negligent medical care, and would be handled through ordinary wrongful death damage proof before a jury. Public testimony was again split: supporters from pro-life and faith groups said the bill recognizes unborn children and aligns Florida with many other states, while opponents from civil liberties, reproductive rights, and advocacy groups warned it could be used to target abortion providers, helpers, and even families or businesses in miscarriage-related cases, and could be weaponized by abusive partners. The transcript ends during testimony on HB 289, with no final vote shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Mark White, Arkansas Teacher Retirement System.
• Did a Teacher Retirement System file a claim or...
• immunity, that claimant had an opportunity to challenge the order through the judicial system, and that
• , or the exercise of judicial discretion.
• The scope of absolute judicial immunity applies only to acts that are judicial in nature and acts taken

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Mark White, Arkansas Teacher Retirement System.
• immunity, that claimant had an opportunity to challenge the order through the judicial system, and that
• immunity, that claimant had an opportunity to challenge the order through the judicial system, and that
• Absolute judicial immunity applies only to acts that are judicial in nature and acts taken within the
• There—the only other judicial—yeah, it sounds like the court is…” “…judicial court is Judge Hickey’s

Summary: The committee first reviewed several wage-claim and labor-related litigation reports from the Department of Labor and Licensing. Members questioned the department’s authority and jurisdiction, whether it was acting like a court, and why it sought attorney’s fees and costs. Department staff explained that the claims arose under the Arkansas Minimum Wage Act and related labor statutes, that the department investigates small wage claims and can file suit when informal resolution fails, and that filing fees are waived by statute though service costs may be incurred. The committee reviewed individual cases, including one where the employer had not proven cash payments, another that had already been paid and dismissed, and a third where service could not yet be completed. The committee then voted to review or batch-file the labor items. The University of Arkansas System then reported on three pending lawsuits under the litigation-notification statute. One case involving a tenured professor alleging age and race discrimination had already been resolved and dismissed after the university re-engaged in discussions about a position. A second case involving a former employee alleging ADA and FMLA retaliation was moving forward after partial dismissal and an answer denying liability. A third case involved a former vendor employee alleging retaliation tied to a parking ticket; members asked about individual-capacity exposure for a university police sergeant, and counsel explained that punitive damages could potentially create personal exposure. The committee reviewed each report. The Department of Finance and Administration presented a proposed tax settlement reducing a sales-and-use tax assessment from about $48,000 to $20,000, with interest and penalties waived, and the committee approved it. The Claims Commission then presented several claims and settlements, including an unpaid salary differential for the Department of Health, reissued warrants, unpaid bills for DHS, and multiple negotiated settlements involving UAMS, Arkansas State Police, and ARDOT; these were generally approved or batched for approval. The most extensive discussion involved a settlement between the Teacher Retirement System and Tetronics International Limited in liquidation, arising from losses tied to the failed Blue Oak project; members questioned the company’s liquidation status, the prior investment loss, and why the matter was settling for $65,000, and the committee ultimately affirmed the settlement. The committee also heard a disputed tax-sale claim involving the Commissioner of State Lands, where a claimant argued that excess proceeds from a 2009 tax sale should have gone to her family rather than escheating to the county. After testimony from the claimant and counsel, members debated sovereign immunity, heirship, and whether the committee could or should award the $4,200 overage. The motion was amended and then replaced with a motion to hold the matter over for further review in a future joint session, which passed. Finally, the committee considered an appeal by Andrew Simpson challenging dismissal of his claim against the Arkansas Court of Appeals; after Simpson and court staff explained the underlying dispute, the committee reviewed the dismissal and the matter was held over for further consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have some vendor systems, some homegrown systems.
• The way that the system is currently structured for the court system, the positions that are eligible
• In talking to the Fusion Center, when you have an enterprise as large as a state system with 20 judicial
• In talking to the Fusion Center, when you have an enterprise as large as a state system with 20 judicial
• circuits and 67 county courts, and The state system, with 20 judicial circuits and 67 county courts

Summary: The committee met to hear fiscal year 2026-2027 legislative budget requests from several justice-related agencies. The Florida Commission on Offender Review requested funding for investigator and revocation staff salary increases to address turnover, plus nonrecurring funds for Wi-Fi, seven vehicles, technology support, and commissioner salary adjustments. The State Courts Administrator presented a broad judicial branch request focused on trial court case-management technology, additional case managers, trust fund authority for child support hearing officers, courthouse furnishings, district court flexibility in staffing, a future courthouse for the Sixth District Court of Appeal, Supreme Court elevator replacement, POM accounting implementation support, judicial security liaison positions tied to the Florida Fusion Center, expanded senior management service authority, and judicial salary adjustments. The Office of the Attorney General outlined pay and operating requests for consumer protection, citizen services, ethics, crime compensation, victim services, vehicle replacement, IT and cybersecurity, lease and operating costs, and PALM-related expenses, while several senators questioned the office about outside counsel contracts, contingency-fee arrangements, transparency, and the use of private law firms. The Department of Corrections made the largest presentation, describing severe staffing shortages, high turnover, rising inmate populations, increased assaults, and heavy overtime use. Secretary Ricky Dixon said the agency’s request was driven by constitutional and public safety needs and included funding for operations, security equipment, inflationary costs, vehicle replacement, offender information system modernization, technology restoration, inmate health services, drug and food cost increases, staffing pilots, maintenance, security infrastructure, Florida PALM, recruitment and retention, and $56 million for new correctional housing units. Members asked about inmate labor, prison safety, overtime, vehicle breakdowns, and whether more National Guard support was needed; Dixon said the agency needed more staffing and pay competitiveness rather than a long-term military presence. A correctional officers’ union representative also urged support for pay raises, citing low pay and staffing concerns. No votes were taken on the budget requests. The chair allowed extended questioning, especially for the Department of Corrections, but noted time constraints and asked agencies to return in a later committee meeting, including FDLE, which was deferred because of a House site visit.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Crittenden County Judicial Center. The Crittenden County Judicial Center.
• County Judicial Center.
• Greenup County Judicial Center. Greenup County Judicial Center.
• <00:41:12.920> The Knox County Judicial Center. The Knox County Judicial Center.
• , the file and serve system.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Budget Review Subcommittee on Justice and Judiciary received an update from the Administrative Office of the Courts on implementation of House Bill 504, the judicial branch budget, and court facility projects. AOC leaders said they do not anticipate problems balancing the outgoing biennium or fiscal year 2026, and explained that the budget changes were driven by the need to reduce costs while preserving required constitutional, court-rule, and statutory services. They also said the new filing fee increases authorized by HB 504 took effect that day and are expected to generate up to $5 million, while the reorganization is projected to save about $3 million in general fund dollars. The bulk of the presentation focused on a major reorganization of the Office of Statewide Programs, which includes specialty courts, family and juvenile services, and pretrial services. AOC said the plan eliminates 170 positions and creates 109 new ones, mainly by reducing middle-management layers, expanding regional service delivery, and cross-training staff. Officials said 110 employees had already been offered or accepted placements, 24 had chosen voluntary separation, and the final number of employees leaving remains fluid until the process concludes around August 1. They emphasized that specialty court programs were not eliminated, but state-funded treatment court contracts and behavioral health liaison positions were removed, with treatment costs shifted to Medicaid or participants where appropriate. Members asked about the process, staffing impacts, specialty court participation, juvenile services, and how AOC will monitor the changes. AOC said the reorganization was developed by leadership, HR, and legal staff under direction of the Chief Justice and approved by the Supreme Court, and that it is intended to improve efficiency and frontline support rather than reduce services. They said specialty court participant levels are being watched closely, that CDW services will continue to use outside providers for programming, and that the agency will keep judges and stakeholders informed as the new structure goes into effect. No votes were taken, and the committee did not approve minutes because a quorum was not present.

Transcript Highlights:

• So to provide an update from the court system is the state court administrator.
• And Florida uses judicial nominating commissions as a way to vet candidates for judicial office and to
• of the 6 district courts of appeal and one in each judicial circuit.
• The judicial nominating commissions were convened for 9 of those judgeships.
• The judicial nominating commissions have convene for 15 of those judgeships.