Judiciary task force hears how district court transition and a $10 installment fee affect courtroom funding

A joint Senate and House Judiciary task force on March 1 heard that the District Court Resource Assessment Board (DCRAB) has largely completed its work converting local district courts into state district courts and that the financing that supports court programs is complicated and strained.

Kristen Clark, director of the Administrative Office of the Courts’ legal services division, told members that Amendment 80 and follow‑on statutes restructured district courts and that by 2025 the state will have transitioned to approximately 70 state district judges across about 41 districts. Clark said the funding picture remains complex: many programs funded out of the Administration of Justice (AOJ) Fund are currently receiving roughly 35% of their appropriations.

Clark explained one recurring point of concern is ‘unidentified funds’ — receipts that cannot be matched to a case because collectors (often local law enforcement) sometimes do not provide the required case fields when remitting money to court clerks. She said proper use of the state’s accounting fields and training for collectors and clerks reduces those unidentified balances.

Members focused on the $10 installment payment fee assessed when defendants cannot pay fines immediately. Clark said the fee exists and described how the district‑court portion breaks down: $2.50 to a judicial collection enhancement account (which ultimately supports Court Information Systems operations), $2.50 to a District Court Automation Fund that stays local, and $5 to the Administration of Justice Fund. Clark warned that eliminating the fee “would be a decreased amount of funding in the administration of justice fund for the 20 or so programs that receive funding out of that.”

Senator Tucker and others cited earlier calculations showing the two $2.50 components generated roughly $6.2 million at a prior point and the $5 portion roughly $4.8 million, totaling about $11 million annually. Clark said AOC can provide more precise breakdowns on request and that DFNA (the fiscal reporting system referenced to the committee) receives monthly reports on filing fees and court costs. She also said AOC does not collect demographic data on who pays fines and fees, though statute requires individualized ability‑to‑pay determinations by judges.

The task force asked AOC to provide more data on installment fee collections and on dollars that remain local versus those remitted to the state. Clark and AOC staff agreed to furnish available reports and to follow up on outstanding gaps in fine‑collection data.

The committee approved the December 5 minutes by voice vote and set a schedule for draft recommendations and possible legislation to be completed this summer and reviewed in September, with a final report due to the governor and legislative leaders by October 1.