BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                           Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair

                                          SB 405 (Corbett)
          
          Hearing Date: 05/26/2011        Amended: As Introduced
          Consultant: Jolie Onodera       Policy Vote: Judiciary 3-1
          
















































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          BILL SUMMARY: SB 405 would ratify the authority of the Judicial 
          Council to convert 10 additional subordinate judicial officer 
          (SJO) positions in eligible superior courts to judgeships in the 
          2011-12 fiscal year, where the conversion will result in a judge 
          being assigned to a family law or juvenile law assignment 
          previously presided over by an SJO.  This bill would provide 
          that this conversion shall be in addition to any action taken 
          under existing law that authorizes the conversion of up to 16 
          SJO positions per fiscal year to judgeships.
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                            Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

           Major Provisions         2011-12      2012-13       2013-14     Fund
           
          Conversion of SJO positions       Up to $300 annually       
          General*
             
          *Trial Court Trust Fund                                     
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          STAFF COMMENTS: SUSPENSE FILE. 

          Existing law authorizes the conversion of 162 SJO positions in 
          eligible courts to judgeships, upon vacancy, not to exceed 16 
          conversions each fiscal year. Additionally, Chapter 690/2010 
          authorizes the Judicial Council to convert up to an additional 
          10 SJO positions to judgeships each year, upon vacancy, to 
          eligible courts if the conversion of the positions would result 
          in the judge being assigned to a family or juvenile law 
          assignment previously presided over by an SJO. Existing law 
          requires the conversion of the 10 additional SJO positions to be 
          ratified by the Legislature by legislation other than the annual 
          Budget Act. This bill would ratify the Judicial Council's 
          authority to convert 10 SJO positions, as specified, for the 
          2011-12 fiscal year.

          Judicial Council indicates that the maximum 16 positions have 
          been converted for each of the four years since conversion 
          authority was provided in 2007-08, and additional SJO vacancies 
          existed in eligible courts for each of those years. 
          Additionally, of the 25 courts eligible for conversions of the 
          162 positions authorized by the Legislature, 91 positions remain 








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          to be converted and allocated amongst 18 courts.

          The annual cost difference between an SJO and judgeship position 
          is approximately $30,000. By allowing up to 10 new conversions, 
          this bill could result in annual state costs of up to $300,000. 
          As with prior conversions, the Judicial Council has indicated 
          the increased cost will be absorbed within existing resources.  
          However, in light of the $200 million reduction to the Judicial 
          Branch budget, the capacity to absorb these additional costs is 
          unknown.