BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 655
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Date of Hearing: May 15, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 655 (Quirk-Silva) - As Amended: May 8, 2013
Policy Committee:
JudiciaryVote:10-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill:
1)Authorizes the trial court in each county to establish
agreements with the state, the county, or cities within the
county to deposit a portion of revenues-from fees, fines, and
forfeitures collected on behalf of those entities by the trial
court-to establish a separate fund to be used solely to
contribute to the salaries and benefits of official court
reporters.
2)Establishes the Reporters' Salary Fund as a revolving fund,
for monthly receipt of collections and payment of salaries and
benefits pursuant to the above agreements.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)It is assumed that, should any trial courts elect to establish
agreements and administer a Reporters' Salary Fund as
described above, this would be accomplished within existing
court resources.
2)To the extent entities wish to use a portion of their revenues
from fees, fines, and forfeitures for the purpose of this
bill, these revenues could result in additional court reporter
services in the courts.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . This bill, sponsored by the California Court
Reporters' Association, authorizes individual trial courts to
AB 655
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establish a revolving fund from which the salaries and
benefits of official reporters would be paid. The proposed
Reporters' Salary Fund is patterned after a longstanding model
in Los Angeles County that has been in operation for over 60
years. The bill does not require any trial court to set up a
fund, but simply would give the courts an optional new
mechanism for ensuring compensation for official court
reporting services.
2)Background . According to the author, in 1945 the Los Angeles
City Attorney's office entered into an agreement with the
then-Los Angeles Municipal Court to have the Court assign
court reporters to misdemeanor proceedings in order to, for
the first time, ensure the availability of a verbatim record
in such cases. Under this agreement, funding of the reporters
would be paid by Los Angeles County and participating cities
through a Reporters' Salary Fund.
In 2002, the Los Angeles Superior Court inherited the Fund as
a result of unification of the Municipal and Superior Courts.
The fund currently pays the salaries and benefits of 74
official reporters in the Los Angeles Superior Court. The
Reporters Salary Fund in Los Angeles is a revolving fund
supported through a set-aside of court revenue derived from
fines, forfeitures and fees accruing to the cities or county,
except law library fees.
Analysis Prepared by : Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081