Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

State of Alaska
                                                           Fiscal Note
                                                                                             Bill Version:                      HB 77
 2019 Legislative Session
                                                                                             Fiscal Note Number:                1
                                                                                             (H) Publish Date:                  3/18/2019
 Identifier:        HB077-JUD-ACS-02-27-19                                    Department:        Judiciary
 Title:             NUMBER OF SUPERIOR COURT JUDGES                           Appropriation: Alaska Court System
 Sponsor:           RLS BY REQUEST                                            Allocation:        Trial Courts
 Requester: House Judiciary Committee                                         OMB Component Number:                 768
 Expenditures/Revenues
 Note: Amounts do not include inflation unless otherwise noted below.                                                                 (Thousands of Dollars)
                                                 Included in
                                    FY2020       Governor's
                                Appropriation      FY2020                                           Out-Year Cost Estimates
                                  Requested       Request
 OPERATING EXPENDITURES               FY 2020        FY 2020       FY 2021                     FY 2022             FY 2023            FY 2024        FY 2025
 Personal Services                        71.0                        71.0                         71.0                71.0               71.0          71.0
 Travel                                   (9.0)                       (9.0)                       (9.0)               (9.0)              (9.0)          (9.0)
 Services
 Commodities
 Capital Outlay
 Grants & Benefits
 Miscellaneous
 Total Operating                          62.0            0.0         62.0                         62.0               62.0                62.0            62.0
 Fund Source (Operating Only)
 1004 Gen Fund (UGF)                            62.0                            62.0               62.0               62.0                62.0            62.0
 Total                                          62.0             0.0            62.0               62.0               62.0                62.0            62.0
 Positions
 Full-time
 Part-time
 Temporary
 Change in Revenues
 None
 Total                                           0.0             0.0                 0.0             0.0                  0.0              0.0             0.0
 Estimated SUPPLEMENTAL (FY2019) cost:                                  0.0                (separate supplemental appropriation required)
 Estimated CAPITAL (FY2020) cost:                                       0.0                (separate capital appropriation required)
 Does the bill create or modify a new fund or account?       No.
 (Supplemental/Capital/New Fund - discuss reasons and fund source(s) in analysis section)
 ASSOCIATED REGULATIONS
 Does the bill direct, or will the bill result in, regulation changes adopted by your agency?                No
 If yes, by what date are the regulations to be adopted, amended or repealed?                                N/A
 Why this fiscal note differs from previous version/comments:
 Initial version.
 Prepared By:             Nancy Meade, General Counsel                                                               Phone:         (907)463-4736
 Division:                Alaska Court System                                                                        Date:          02/27/2019 11:00 PM
 Approved By:             Nancy Meade for Christine Johnson, Administrative Director                                 Date:          02/27/19
 Agency:                  Alaska Court System
Printed 3/18/2019                                                      Page 1 of 2                                                           Control Code: PuYwc
                                                                                                                      HB 77 - Fiscal Note 1
                                                  FISCAL NOTE ANALYSIS
STATE OF ALASKA                                                                    BILL NO. HB 77
2019 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Analysis
   House Bill 77 increases the total number of superior court judges that are authorized in the state by two, from a total of 43
   to 45. It specifies that the additional judges will serve in the Third Judicial District; specifically, one of the added superior
   court judges will be assigned to Homer, and one will be assigned to Valdez.
   The court system has requested this statutory change to allow it to reclassify two district court judge seats to instead be
   superior court judge seats. Superior court judges have broader jurisdiction, and upgrading those positions will allow case
   filings to be handled more efficiently and more effectively. Currently, both Homer and Valdez courts are staffed by only
   one judge, who is currently a district court judge. In both of those courts, the current judge is leaving the position (one is
   retiring; one was appointed to a judgeship in Juneau). This bill would allow the court to fill those existing seats with a
   judge with broader jurisdiction, a superior court judge. That new judge will use the existing offices, furniture, and
   equipment, which the district court judge has been using. And the two new superior court judges will use existing
   resources within the Third Judicial District for other needs, such as clerical and administrative assistance.
   The additional cost of upgrading these positions is $71,000 per year in personal services, the amount that two superior
   court judges cost in salary and benefits as compared to the cost of two district court judges. This increase would be offset
   by approximately $9,000 each year, which is the amount the court has spent, on average, over the last three years in
   travel expenses for other superior court judges to cover the superior court proceedings that take place in Homer and
   Valdez. That travel expense would be avoided with the reclassification of the positions.
   The Alaska Court System therefore submits this fiscal note for $62,000 per year to account for the net increase in cost for
   the two superior court judgeships added by HB 77.
(Revised 11/19/18 OMB/LFD)                                                                                             Page 2 of 2
HB077-JUD-ACS-02-27-19                                           Page 2 of 2                                                Control Code: PuYwc
Statutes affected: 
HB0077A, AM HB 77, introduced 02/27/2019: 22.10.120