JUROR COMP. FUND TRANSFER S.B. 759: FLOOR SUMMARY
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Senate Bill 759 (as reported without amendment) (as enrolled)
Sponsor: Senator Roger Kahn, M.D.
Committee: Appropriations

CONTENT
Public Act (PA) 167 of 2010, the FY 2010-11 budget act for the Judiciary, was premised on a transfer of funds from the Juror Compensation Reimbursement Fund to the Court Equity Fund to offset General Fund reductions in the budget. To date, however, the necessary statutory authorization for the transfer has not been approved by the Legislature. Senate Bill 759 would amend the Revised Judicature Act to authorize a one-time transfer of $2.6 million from the Juror Compensation Reimbursement Fund to the Court Equity Fund to satisfy the assumption included in PA 167 of 2010.


The Juror Compensation Reimbursement Fund was created to reimburse counties for the October 1, 2003, increase in the statutory minimum compensation rates for jurors. The Fund consists of revenue from the collection of driver license clearance fees and jury demand fees. Since the inception of the Juror Compensation Reimbursement Fund, annual revenue collection has consistently outpaced payouts from the Fund.


Three previous transfers from the Juror Compensation Reimbursement Fund have been approved by the Legislature: - For FY 2004-05, a transfer of $4.0 million to the General Fund.
- For FY 2007-08, a transfer of $2.3 million to the General Fund.
- For FY 2009-10, a transfer of $1.4 million to the Court Equity Fund.
MCL 600.151d

FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would transfer $2,607,500 from the Juror Compensation Reimbursement Fund to the Court Equity Fund to effectively offset General Fund reductions to the FY 2010-11 Judiciary budget. Following this transfer, the Juror Compensation Reimbursement Fund would still carry forward a balance of approximately $2.2 million into FY 2011-12.



Date Completed: 10-27-11 Fiscal Analyst: Matt Grabowski

Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb759/1112