District of Columbia Courts FY 2022 Budget Justification Table of Contents
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FY 2022 Budget Justification District of Columbia Courts Open to All ♦ Trusted by All ♦ Justice for All District of Columbia Courts FY 2022 Budget Justification Table of Contents 1. Summary a. Narrative ....................................................................................................... Summary-1 b. Comparison Table ......................................................................................... Summary-1 c. Priority Table .............................................................................................. Summary-19 d. Organizational Chart ................................................................................... Summary-26 e. Request Summary Table ............................................................................. Summary-27 f. Interagency Agreements Table ................................................................... Summary-30 2. Appropriations Language a. Language ........................................................................... Appropriations Language-31 b. Justification ....................................................................... Appropriations Language-33 3. Initiatives a. Juror Fee Parity .......................................................................................... Initiatives-35 b. Expanding Access to Justice ...................................................................... Initiatives-37 4. Court of Appeals a. Narrative ......................................................................................... Court of Appeals-41 b. Object Classification Table ............................................................. Court of Appeals-49 5. Superior Court a. Narrative Overview ............................................................................ Superior Court-51 b. Object Classification Table ................................................................ Superior Court-54 c. Division Narratives ............................................................................ Superior Court-55 6. Court System a. Narrative Overview ............................................................................ Court System-133 b. Object Classification Table ................................................................ Court System-135 c. Division Narratives ............................................................................ Court System-136 7. New Positions Requested by Grade a. New Positions Requested .................................................................. New Positions-209 8. Capital Budget a. Fiscal Year 2022 Capital Budget Justification Summary Table ................... Capital-211 b. Capital Budget Introduction .......................................................................... Capital-212 c. Renovations, Improvements, & Expansions ................................................. Capital-229 d. Maintain Existing Infrastructure ................................................................... Capital-245 9. Grant-funded Activities and Reimbursements a. Narrative ..................................................................... Grants and Reimbursements-273 b. Table ........................................................................... Grants and Reimbursements-276 10. Evaluation and Evidence a. Program Evaluation Narrative ......................................... Evaluation and Evidence-279 b. Evidence Template........................................................... Evaluation and Evidence-281 11. Defender Services a. Narrative ..................................................................................... Defender Services-287 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURTS Budget Justification Summary Fiscal Year 2022 Comprised of the Court of Appeals, the Superior Court, and the Court System, the District of Columbia Courts constitute the Judicial Branch of the District of Columbia government. The mission of the District of Columbia Courts is to protect rights and liberties, uphold and interpret the law, and resolve disputes peacefully, fairly, and effectively in the District of Columbia. The D.C. Courts directly serve our community in many ways. The D.C. Courts are vital to public safety in the Nation’s Capital as crucial elements in the adult criminal and juvenile justice systems, as well as the child welfare system and protections for vulnerable elderly persons. The Courts operate targeted courts that effectively fight criminal recidivism and illicit drug use. As a repository of vast personal data on litigants, cybersecurity is crucial to protect these individuals. The Courts’ multi-year Facilities Master Plan reflects an infrastructure plan to modernize our facilities that also creates numerous jobs in our community as it is implemented. To meet the Courts’ mission of administering justice in the community, the D.C. Courts request $357,804,000 for operations and capital improvements in FY 2022. Of this amount, $14,910,000 is requested for the Court of Appeals operations; $137,050,000 is requested for the Superior Court; and $85,614,000 is requested for the Court System. For capital improvements to courthouse facilities $120,230,000 is requested. In addition, the Courts request $46,005,000 for the Defender Services account. Table 1 shows the FY 2020 enacted budget, the FY 2021 enacted budget, and the FY 2022 request. Table 1 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURTS FY 2022 Budget Justification Comparison Table FY 2020 FY 2021 FY 2022 1 Enacted Budget Enacted Budget Courts' Request Court of Appeals 14,682,000 14,910,000 14,910,000 Superior Court 125,638,000 137,050,000 137,050,000 Court System 75,518,000 85,614,000 85,614,000 Subtotal, Operations 215,838,000 237,574,000 237,574,000 Capital 34,250,000 30,499,000 120,230,000 Total, Federal Payment 250,088,000 250,088,000 357,804,000 Defender Services 46,005,000 46,005,000 46,005,000 1 Reflects the planned FY 2021 transfer of $640,000 and 5 FTEs from the Court of Appeals to the Court System administratively to consolidate information technology functions. Summary - 1 Summaries of the operating budget request by strategic goal, the capital request, and the defender services request follow under the FY 2022 Request Summary heading. Operating budget requests are described in detail in the respective division section, where detailed performance data for each division are also located. The capital budget section of this request contains detailed information on the Courts’ capital projects, their management, and the funding needed to protect recent capital investments and to maintain the Courts’ infrastructure. D.C. Courts Budget Overview To carry out our mission to administer justice for all persons in the Nation’s Capital, the D.C. Courts rely on our personnel—judges in courtrooms hearing cases, clerks at public counters processing cases, probation officers supervising juvenile offenders, and numerous other critical workers. As illustrated in Chart 1, nearly three-quarters of the Courts’ operating budget (72%) finances court personnel. The remaining budget finances necessary operations and support. For example, under contractual services the Courts finance interpreters for persons with hearing impairments and limited English Chart 1 proficiency and Composition of DC Courts' Operating Budget special security (FY 2020 Data) officers to protect the public and court Other personnel by 1% Equipment providing security in 3% the courthouse. To Rent, help support juveniles Communications, & Utilities on probation and 6% their rehabilitation, the Courts contract Contractual for services for youth Services and lease and 18% maintain community- based drop-in centers/probation offices. In addition, Personal Services the Courts’ budget 72% includes basic support functions, such as information technology, housekeeping, electricity, water, steam, telecommunications, and office rental. Summary - 2 Budget Reductions Since budget reductions in FY 2018 caused the Courts to eliminate more than 100 positions, nearly 10% of non-judicial staff, the Courts have strived to minimize the negative impact of these budget reductions on core functions and the public. In Fiscal Year 2018, the D.C. Courts’ budget was significantly reduced, resulting in a considerable decrease in the funds available for salaries and benefits, which, as shown above, comprise nearly three-fourths of the Courts’ budget. In addition to reducing contracts and eliminating travel, the D.C. Courts implemented a hiring freeze for nearly all positions, which permitted staffing reductions by attrition. To optimize service to the public, the Courts reassigned personnel across divisions to fill critical vacancies. After the Courts reduced staffing to the level that the budget could support (assuming a full complement of judges and their statutory staff because judges are nominated by the President, subject to Senate confirmation, rather than through the Courts’ administrative hiring authority), only the most critical positions have been filled as new vacancies have been created by staff retirement or other separations. Although the FY 2020 and FY 2021 appropriations restored funding for 16 of these positions, primarily in juvenile probation supervision, the Courts’ staffing levels remain significantly reduced. Pandemic Operations The novel coronavirus forced drastic changes to court operations, as it impacted society at large. The Courts struggled, like other institutions, to balance competing demands to carry out its mission and to protect the health and safety of litigants, jurors, judges, and court