Judiciary Receives 5.7 Percent Increase in Appropriations for FY 2010

Judiciary Receives 5.7 Percent Increase in Appropriations for FY 2010

The Judiciary received nearly $6.9 billion in funding for fiscal year 2010 in Pub. L. No. 111-117, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010, signed by the President on December 16, 2009.

(click to enlarge)

FY 2010 Judiciary Appropriations

“Congress continued to support the funding necessary to ensure the optimal operation of the federal Judiciary,” said Administrative Office Director Jim Duff. “We are grateful for the efforts of Judge Julia S. Gibbons and the Budget Committee, as well as those of all judges who engage their local delegations.”

The Judiciary had requested $6.9 billion in a September re-estimate. Initial appropriations requests are prepared nearly 18 months ahead of a fiscal year, and subsequent revised estimates are made based on updated statistics on workload, judicial confirmations, rent costs, and other projected spending. The FY 2010 funding level provides the Judiciary a 5.7 percent increase over the FY 2009 appropriations, which fully funds those revised estimates.

Court Funding

Court operations, which are funded by the Salaries and Expenses account, received slightly more than $5.0 billion in appropriations. These funds allow for a FY 2010 Financial Plan in which court allotments grow by 6 percent over FY 2009. These allotments will allow courts to hire staff needed to address pressing workload needs. The Defender Services account received $977.7 million for FY 2010, which included an increase in the non-capital panel attorney rate from $110 to $125 per hour. The Court Security Account received $452.6 million, which fully meets our revised estimated security requirements.

Courthouse Construction

For FY 2010, Pub. L. No. 111-117 provides $289 million to the General Services Administration for courthouse construction. All four projects on the Judiciary’s Five-Year Courthouse Plan for 2010 were funded: Salt Lake City, Utah; Savannah, Georgia; San Antonio, Texas; and Mobile, Alabama, which received partial funding. Greenbelt, Maryland, which was on the Plan for 2011, received site and design funding. In addition, the project in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which was originally proposed as a lease-construct project, received site and design funding to proceed as a federal construction project. The project in Yuma, Arizona, which also originated as a lease-construct project, will now be a federal construction project utilizing American Recovery and Reinvestment Act monies.

The Act continues the Judiciary’s tenant alterations authority to contract directly for projects costing under $100,000 in lieu of contracting through the General Services Administration.

Judgeships

A provision of the Consolidated Appropriations Act extends for one year temporary judgeships in the District of Hawaii, the District of Kansas, and the Northern District of Ohio.

Sphere: Related Content