State Court Budget Request Faces High Hurdles
From the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
In the opening round of the state budgeting process, Illinois’ top court has asked lawmakers for a roughly $30 million hike in appropriations for the coming fiscal year.
Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Rita B. Garman has requested a $373.9 million allotment from the state’s taxpayer-supported general fund, telling lawmakers that the court’s share is a “small, but vitally important” investment — especially with calls to reduce incarceration rates that may increase the need for probation.
But Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed state budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 contains about $63.5 million less than that for the courts, and the House Democrat in charge of the panel that controls court funding said he doesn’t expect the money will be there for a bump in probation dollars.
Last year, the court was given $344.8 million from the general revenue fund, a $43 million increase over the previous year. The budget for the state’s top court also increased from fiscal year 2013 to 2014 after dropping between 2012 and 2013.
The biggest chunk of the court’s budget request for the upcoming year, $190.5 million, would go toward judges’ salaries at all three levels of the state court system, which are set by statute.
“Thus, any cut in funding for judicial salaries would require devastating cuts to other vital services,” Garman said in prepared remarks this month to House and Senate panels tasked with crafting parts of the budget.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
In the opening round of the state budgeting process, Illinois’ top court has asked lawmakers for a roughly $30 million hike in appropriations for the coming fiscal year.
Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Rita B. Garman has requested a $373.9 million allotment from the state’s taxpayer-supported general fund, telling lawmakers that the court’s share is a “small, but vitally important” investment — especially with calls to reduce incarceration rates that may increase the need for probation.
But Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed state budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 contains about $63.5 million less than that for the courts, and the House Democrat in charge of the panel that controls court funding said he doesn’t expect the money will be there for a bump in probation dollars.
Last year, the court was given $344.8 million from the general revenue fund, a $43 million increase over the previous year. The budget for the state’s top court also increased from fiscal year 2013 to 2014 after dropping between 2012 and 2013.
The biggest chunk of the court’s budget request for the upcoming year, $190.5 million, would go toward judges’ salaries at all three levels of the state court system, which are set by statute.
“Thus, any cut in funding for judicial salaries would require devastating cuts to other vital services,” Garman said in prepared remarks this month to House and Senate panels tasked with crafting parts of the budget.
Read more in our daily News Update...