Chief Supreme Court Justice Seeks Funding

{Frankfort, Kentucky}...Friday, Chief Supreme Court Justice John D. Minton told the Interim Joint Committee that Kentucky's courts desperately need a new computer system, 25 more staffers and more new family court judges. The courts are asking for an additional $62 million for the next fiscal year, about $20 million for new projects, positions or pay raises and the vast majority for other increased costs, such as health care and contributions to the retirement system. Minton says the passage of House Bill 463 earlier this year, which was designed to divert more non-violent, first-time offenders from the state's prisons and jails, has meant more work for the state's pretrial officers. Minton says he will ask in his two-year budget request to hire an additional 25 pretrial officers, which would cost about $2.1 million. The legislature will tackle the two-year budget when it reconvenes in January, but state leaders have cautioned agencies not to expect much new money during the next two years given that projected revenues are expected to fall several hundred million dollars short of what's needed to maintain current programs.