The Kentucky Bar Association has asked us to forward the following message from Chief Justice Minton:
Today the House Appropriations & Revenue Committee voted to pass budget bills for all three branches of state government. This is a critical step in the process as it tells us what the House has appropriated for the Judicial Branch budget. The full version of HB 304 (committee sub) is attached to this message.
Unfortunately – in spite of early indications to the contrary – the news is very grim. Based on the amount appropriated by the House, the Judicial Branch would be short $36.3 million in Fiscal Year 2017 and $40.6 million in FY 2018. This means we are facing a $76.9 million shortfall for the biennium on top of the 49 percent overall budget reduction the court system has endured since 2008.
The House version of our budget bill also includes additional funding items for circuit clerk raises (specifically excluding all judges) and the creation of a family court judgeship in Daviess County.
The consequences of the House version of the Judicial Branch budget, if enacted, can only be described as catastrophic. Because personnel costs make up 87 percent of our budget, we are concerned that the shortfall will have a significant impact on our non-elected employees. The Kentucky state court system – considered among the strongest in the country – would no longer be able to operate as we know it today.
The amount the House appropriated for our budget is inexplicable in light of our intensive efforts to detail what these extreme cuts would do to court operations. House leadership responded with public support for full funding of the Judicial Branch budget. Through meetings, phone calls and testimony before the House Budget Review Subcommittee, I’ve repeatedly asked that the Judicial Branch be exempt from the 9 percent cuts in FY 17 and FY 18 that the governor proposed. In fact, before the special elections for the four vacant House seats, Budget Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Kevin Sinnette, who is an advocate for the courts, reported he was recommending an exemption and full funding for the Judicial Branch budget. But House budget as proposed does not grant us that exemption.
I am relieved to report that the House version of our budget bill did exempt the Judicial Branch from the 4.5 percent cut for the remainder of FY 2016, which the governor is requiring from many state agencies.
As for next steps, I expect the full House to vote on our budget bill tomorrow. After that, the bill will go to the Senate, where it will be assigned to the Appropriations & Revenue Committee for further testimony and consideration. I have already been in contact with Senate leadership and will continue to sound the alarm about the impact the proposed reductions would have on the court system and the commonwealth. I will also ask the Senate to exempt the Judicial Branch from further cuts and restore an appropriate level of funding to the court system.
As always, I appreciate your hard work and support. I will provide budget updates as they become available.
John D. Minton, Jr.
Chief Justice of Kentucky
231 Capitol Building
700 Capitol Avenue
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
Telephone 502.564.4162
Warren County Justice Center
1001 Center Street, Suite 305
Bowling Green, Kentucky 42101
Telephone 270.746.7867
