Pennsylvania Act 2001-88 — JUDICIAL CODE (42 PA.C.S.) - AMEND SENIOR JUDGE OPERATIONAL SUPPORT GRANTS

Act text

JUDICIAL CODE (42 PA.C.S.) - AMEND SENIOR JUDGE OPERATIONAL SUPPORT
                                  GRANTS
                  Act of Nov. 21, 2001, P.L. 847, No. 88              Cl. 42
                             Session of 2001
                               No. 2001-88

     SB 977

                                  AN ACT

     Amending Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the
        Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, providing for senior
        judge operational support grants.

        The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     hereby enacts as follows:

        Section 1.  Title 42 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
     Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:
      § 1906.  Senior judge operational support grants.
        (a)  Program.--The Court Administrator of Pennsylvania shall
     create a program to defray the costs imposed on counties by the
     rules of judicial administration for facilities and staff for
     senior judges assigned to the courts of common pleas.
        (b)  Availability.--Grants will be made available to counties
     based on the level of operational support provided by a county
     to:
            (1)  Senior judges formerly of the judicial district in
        which the county is situated who are regularly or
        periodically assigned in that county or who are assigned
        pursuant to section 4544 (relating to convening multicounty
        investigating grand jury).
            (2)  Visiting senior judges.
        (c)  Purpose.--Grants will be made available to counties to
     reimburse them for operational support provided by the county
     during the preceding calendar year. Grants will be calculated
     based on use of judicial chambers, utilization of the services
     of a law clerk and utilization of the services of a secretary,
     which chambers or services are deemed adequate and appropriate
     by the Administrative Office as follows:
            (1)  Use of judicial chambers will be reimbursed at the
        rate of $60 per day, billable in one-half-day increments.
            (2)  Utilization of services of a law clerk will be
        reimbursed at $20 per hour.
            (3)  Utilization of services of a secretary will be
        reimbursed at $12 per hour.
        (d)  Reimbursement.--Counties will be reimbursed upon timely
     application by the board of commissioners or, in the absence of
     a board of commissioners, the executive authority of the county
     or, in the case of a county which is coterminous with a city of
     the first class, the mayor of the city of the first class. The
     application shall be certified by the president judge of the
     judicial district in which the county is situated, shall include
     such documentation as may be required by the Administrative
     Office and shall be submitted as follows:
            (1)  Applications for reimbursement for operational
        support provided by counties during calendar year 2001 shall
        be submitted by April 1, 2002, and grants shall be paid by
        June 30, 2002.
            (2)  The due dates for applications for operational
        support provided during calendar years beginning January 1,
        2002, and thereafter shall be established by the Court
        Administrator of Pennsylvania.
        (e)  Minimum standards.--The Administrative Office shall set
     forth minimum standards regarding adequacy, appropriateness and
     quality of judicial chambers and services required to qualify
     for reimbursement.
        (f)  Reduction.--In the event that the total reimbursement
     qualifying for payment for any calendar year exceeds the amount
     appropriated by the General Assembly for such purpose, the Court
     Administrator of Pennsylvania shall proportionally reduce the
     grant for each county so that the total of all grants does not
     exceed the amount appropriated.
        (g)  Limit on grant amount.--No county shall receive more
     than 20% of the amount appropriated for senior judge operational
     support grants in any fiscal year.
        (h)  Report.--Not later than 60 days following payment of
     grants for any year, the Court Administrator of Pennsylvania
     shall make a report to the Appropriations Committee of the
     Senate and the Appropriations Committee of the House of
     Representatives setting forth the payments made to counties and
     the services provided.
        (i)  Expiration.--This section shall expire on June 30, 2007,
     unless reenacted prior to that date.
        Section 2.  This act shall take effect immediately.

     APPROVED--The 21st day of November, A. D. 2001.

     MARK S. SCHWEIKER