State court administrator says governor's FY2027 budget leaves judiciary about $5 million short

State Court Administrator Julie Hamill told the House Finance Committee's public safety subcommittee that the governor's FY2027 budget recommendation would leave the state judiciary about $5 million short of what the courts say they need to operate.

"When you boil it down, the governor's recommended budget essentially shorts the judiciary's needs by about $5,000,000," Hamill said, attributing the gap to a 6% turnover assumption and a $3 million operating reduction in the governor's proposal.

Hamill said the judiciary is willing to adhere to a 3.5% turnover rate (about $4.1 million in savings) but that the remaining difference would force cuts to programs and staff. A separate finance presenter had outlined the governor's FY2027 recommendation at $165.5 million for the judiciary and noted that about 84% of that funding comes from general revenues and roughly 80% of spending is personnel-related.

Hamill detailed specific areas at risk. She asked for two new full-time employees for the district court's pretrial services unit, which received 3,225 referrals in 2025 and manages about 2,100 active cases with a staff of 16. She said the Veterans Treatment Court's federal grant funding expired in December 2025 and the judiciary's request includes roughly $275,000 to continue associated services. The mental health treatment court, created by the Legislature in 2022, also faces expiring grant support.

The administrator also described rising demand for language access: the judiciary logged about 11,200 interpreter requests in 2025, with roughly 10,600 in Spanish. Hamill said the judiciary has increased staff interpreters from six to 10 and plans to add a Cape Verdean Creole interpreter; interpretation beyond Spanish is provided through vendors at an estimated $300,000 per year.

On facilities, Hamill said nondiscretionary costs are increasing: an elevator replacement at the Leach Judicial Complex is estimated at about $462,000 and record-center costs in Pawtucket run about $1 million annually. She warned that a $3 million operating cut would be difficult to absorb without affecting essential building maintenance and operations.

Hamill described the courts' layered approach to security, noting persistent vacancies among sheriffs and the use of paid Providence Police details: the judiciary pays for four Providence officers assigned across Providence courthouses at a cost of about $450,000 in FY26 and $475,000 projected in FY27. To fill security gaps, the courts have invested in in-house systems, including cameras, a shooter-detection system and a facial-recognition tool to alert court security about previously disruptive or threatening individuals.

Answering questions from Representative Diaz, Hamill said the facial-recognition system is a closed judiciary system used for internal situational awareness and is not shared with outside law-enforcement agencies, including ICE. "This is strictly for the judiciary security personnel to utilize," she said, adding that the judiciary will publish a policy explaining how the system is used and who has access.

Committee members asked for additional detail on restricted receipt accounts and other funding sources; Hamill agreed to provide account balances and supporting documentation to legislators after the hearing. There were no formal votes on the budget at the conclusion of the testimony; the chair moved to adjourn and the committee closed the session.

The committee's next formal step and any changes to the governor's recommendation will depend on budget negotiations in the Finance Committee and the full Legislature.