Judiciary seeks continued CMS funding, ADR support and new security positions as ARPA ends

Charlie Bethel, chairing the Judicial Council's budget committee, presented multiple budget items to the House appropriations subcommittee, including requests to move the fixed costs for the Schedule ADR case management system into the state budget, a program coordinator position for ADR operations, and eight staff positions to sustain the statewide Georgia case management system (CMS) as ARPA funds expire.

Bethel said the Schedule ADR system serves 26 court ADR programs and that the CMS rollout — funded initially with ARPA dollars — is now in testing and pilot phases. He told the committee the requested eight positions ($586,649 for half a fiscal year) reflect current staffing needed to operate and roll out the system and that jurisdictions joining the CMS could create a revenue stream that would offset state funding over time.

Chief Justice (speaker 19) described annualization requests and a policy change seeking two judicial-protection positions — a director of judicial protective services and an operations manager — to coordinate threat tracking, training and limited funded responses (including paying off‑duty officers when acute threats require extra protection). The Chief Justice said contract support had previously filled that role but appropriations are needed to make it permanent.

Members raised concerns about potential duplication with private vendors and existing systems for civil filings, asked about the accountability-courts integration request and the timeline for reversing appropriations if jurisdictions do not adopt the CMS. Bethel and others said they welcomed legislative guidance on whether to treat requests as one-time or annualized and reiterated that adoption rates and user fees will influence when the state can reduce appropriations.

Other judicial items included funding for the Office of Dispute Resolution's ADR scheduling system, ICJE accounting support, the resource center that handles habeas representation, and a new Georgia Tax Court transition packet (the tax court requested roughly $817,000 after losing an executive-branch tribunal carryover). The committee took no immediate votes and asked follow-up technical questions about adoption timelines and integration points.