HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 1414

BYRepresentatives P. King, Dellwo and Appelwick; by request of Administrator for the Courts

Establishing a judicial information system fund.

House Committe on Judiciary

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (19)

      Signed by Representatives Appelwick, Chair; Crane, Vice Chair; Padden, Ranking Republican Member; Belcher, Brough, Dellwo, Hargrove, Inslee, P. King, Locke, R. Meyers, Moyer, H. Myers, Patrick, Schmidt, Scott, D. Sommers, Tate and Wineberry.

House Staff:Steve Masciocchi (786-7377)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY MARCH 1, 1989

BACKGROUND:

The Judicial Information System (JIS) is an automated management information system established by court rule.  The JIS provides operational, statistical, and other information to users of judicial information.  The JIS is operated by the Administrator for the Courts under the direction of the Judicial Information System Committee and with the approval of the Supreme Court.

SUMMARY:

SUBSTITUTE BILL:  This bill provides that the Judicial Information System (JIS) Committee may establish a fee schedule for the provision of information services. Fees may be charged to noncourt users of judicial information, but not to county or city agencies within Washington State.

Revenue from information system user fees are deposited in the public safety and education account and are subject to legislative appropriation.

SUBSTITUTE BILL COMPARED TO ORIGINAL:  The original bill provided for the Office of the Administrator for the Courts to establish a revolving fund into which fees from noncourt users would be deposited.  The fund was not subject to appropriation.  Under the substitute bill, fees from noncourt users are deposited in the public safety and education account and are subject to appropriation.  The substitute also clarifies that county and city agencies may not be charged user fees regardless of whether they are using the system for the business of the courts.  Finally, the substitute bill contains a maintenance of effort clause that was not part of the original bill.

Fiscal Note:      Available.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Mary McQueen and Jack Morris, Office of the Administrator for the Courts; Jan Michels, King County Clerk; Melanie Stewart, Washington Magistrates Association; Jim Goche, Washington Association of County Officials (in part).

House Committee - Testified Against:      Mike Redman, WAPA.

House Committee - Testimony For:    The bill would give access to private bar members who want to subscribe to the system.  Funds must be raised to provide this access.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      Amendments are needed to insure that efforts are maintained to complete the system for county users and to clarify that all county agencies are exempt from user fees.