REPORT OF CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

MR. SPEAKER AND MR. PRESIDENT:

We, the undersigned conferees, have had under consideration the amendments to the following entitled BILL:

H. B. No. 1617: Appropriation; Supreme Court Services.

We, therefore, respectfully submit the following report and recommendation:

 

1. That the Senate recede from its Amendment No. 1.

2. That the House and Senate adopt the following amendment:

 

AMEND by striking lines 16 through 235 and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

$ 5,083,208.00.

SECTION 2. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in any special fund in the State Treasury to the credit of the Mississippi State Supreme Court which is comprised of special source funds collected by or otherwise available to the Mississippi State Supreme Court, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Mississippi State Supreme Court for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2000, and ending June 30, 2001 $ 400,325.00.

SECTION 3. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of Section 1 and Section 2, not more than the amounts set forth below shall be expended for the respective major objects or purposes of expenditure:

MAJOR OBJECTS OF EXPENDITURE:

Personal Services:

Salaries, Wages and Fringe Benefits $ 3,810,265.00

Travel and Subsistence 280,000.00

Contractual Services 911,730.00

Commodities 309,598.00

Capital Outlay:

Other Than Equipment 0.00

Equipment 171,940.00

Subsidies, Loans and Grants 0.00

Total $ 5,483,533.00

FUNDING:

General Funds $ 5,083,208.00

Special Funds 400,325.00

Total $ 5,483,533.00

AUTHORIZED POSITIONS:

Permanent: Full Time 72

Part Time 2

Time-Limited: Full Time 0

Part Time 0

SECTION 4. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated to the Mississippi State Supreme Court for the purpose of defraying the expenses of special judges, chancellors and circuit judges for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2000, and ending June 30, 2001

$ 15,465,966.00.

SECTION 5. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of Section 4, not more than the amounts set forth below shall be expended for the respective major objects or purposes of expenditure:

MAJOR OBJECTS OF EXPENDITURE:

Personal Services:

Salaries, Wages and Fringe Benefits $ 14,458,466.00

Travel and Subsistence 448,000.00

Contractual Services 75,500.00

Commodities 484,000.00

Capital Outlay:

Other Than Equipment 0.00

Equipment 0.00

Subsidies, Loans and Grants 0.00

Total $ 15,465,966.00

FUNDING:

General Funds $ 15,465,966.00

Special Funds 0.00

Total $ 15,465,966.00

AUTHORIZED POSITIONS:

Permanent: Full Time 94

Part Time 0

Time-Limited: Full Time 0

Part Time 0

It is the intention of the Legislature that of the funds allocated under the provisions of Section 5, the Mississippi Supreme Court may authorize an increase in any major object of expenditure, provided that there is a corresponding decrease in the other major object of expenditure.

Of the funds appropriated in Section 4 and allocated in Section 5, Three Million Seven Hundred Sixty Thousand Dollars ($3,760,000.00) is provided for the purpose of employing support staff in an amount not to exceed Forty Thousand Dollars ($40,000.00) per fiscal year per judge.

SECTION 6. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the State General Fund, not otherwise appropriated, for the purpose of funding the Administrative Office of Courts for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2000, and ending June 30, 2001................

$ 1,453,365.00.

SECTION 7. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in any special fund in the State Treasury to the credit of the Administrative Office of Courts for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Administrative Office of Courts and the Board of Certified Court Reporters for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2000, and ending June 30, 2001 $ 9,329,101.00.

SECTION 8. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of Sections 6 and 7, not more than the amounts set forth below shall be expended for the respective major objects or purposes of expenditure:

MAJOR OBJECTS OF EXPENDITURE:

Personal Services:

Salaries, Wages and Fringe Benefits $ 9,690,521.00

Travel and Subsistence 71,000.00

Contractual Services 446,410.00

Commodities 36,160.00

Capital Outlay:

Other Than Equipment 0.00

Equipment 38,375.00

Subsidies, Loans and Grants 500,000.00

Total $ 10,782,466.00

FUNDING:

General Funds $ 1,453,365.00

Special Funds 9,329,101.00

Total $ 10,782,466.00

AUTHORIZED POSITIONS:

Permanent: Full Time 15

Part Time 0

Time-Limited: Full Time 0

Part Time 0

Of the funds appropriated in this section, Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000.00) shall be used for providing a Drug Treatment Court Program in Hinds County.

The Drug Treatment Court Program funded above is established in the Administrative Office of Courts to facilitate the creation of drug treatment court programs in Hinds County. Funds shall be spent based upon the general guidelines set forth by the Director of the Administrative Office of Courts based on a program as approved by the Hinds County Board of Supervisors.

Of the funds appropriated in this section, Twenty-six Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($26,500.00) is provided for the Task Force on Gender Fairness in the Courts.

SECTION 9. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the Continuing Legal Education Fund, a special fund hereby created in the State Treasury, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of providing continuing legal education programs to lawyers in Mississippi, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2000, and ending June 30, 2001 $ 116,946.00.

It is the intention of the Legislature that interest earned from any investment or deposit to the Continuing Legal Education Fund made pursuant to Section 27-105-33, Mississippi Code of 1972, shall be credited by the State Treasurer to the Continuing Legal Education Fund and shall not be paid into the General Fund of Mississippi.

SECTION 10. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of Section 9, not more than the amounts set forth below shall be expended for the respective major objects or purposes of expenditure:

MAJOR OBJECTS OF EXPENDITURE:

Personal Services:

Salaries, Wages and Fringe Benefits $ 50,146.00

Travel and Subsistence 12,000.00

Contractual Services 31,350.00

Commodities 4,750.00

Capital Outlay:

Other Than Equipment 0.00

Equipment 3,700.00

Subsidies, Loans and Grants 15,000.00

Total $ 116,946.00

AUTHORIZED POSITIONS:

Permanent: Full Time 1

Part Time 0

Time-Limited: Full Time 0

Part Time 0

SECTION 11. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated to the Mississippi State Supreme Court for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Court of Appeals for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2000, and ending June 30, 2001 $4,121,124.00.

SECTION 12. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of Section 11, not more than the amounts set forth below shall be expended for the respective major objects or purposes of expenditure:

MAJOR OBJECTS OF EXPENDITURE:

Personal Services:

Salaries, Wages and Fringe Benefits $ 3,157,403.00

Travel and Subsistence 304,000.00

Contractual Services 556,471.00

Commodities 45,000.00

Capital Outlay:

Other Than Equipment 0.00

Equipment 58,250.00

Subsidies, Loans and Grants 0.00

Total $ 4,121,124.00

FUNDING:

General Funds $ 4,121,124.00

Special Funds 0.00

Total $ 4,121,124.00

AUTHORIZED POSITIONS:

Permanent: Full Time 60

Part Time 0

Time-Limited: Full Time 0

Part Time 0

SECTION 13. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the special fund in the State Treasury to the credit of the Board of Bar Admissions, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the board for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2000, and ending June 30, 2001 $ 227,234.00.

It is the intention of the Legislature that interest earned from any investment or deposit to the Board of Bar Admissions Fund made pursuant to Section 27-105-33, Mississippi Code of 1972, shall be credited by the State Treasurer to the Board of Bar Admissions Fund and shall not be paid into the General Fund of Mississippi.

SECTION 14. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of Section 13, not more than the amounts set forth below shall be expended for the respective major objects or purposes of expenditure:

MAJOR OBJECTS OF EXPENDITURE:

Personal Services:

Salaries, Wages and Fringe Benefits $ 94,746.00

Travel and Subsistence 9,000.00

Contractual Services 111,838.00

Commodities 10,000.00

Capital Outlay:

Other Than Equipment 0.00

Equipment 1,650.00

Subsidies, Loans and Grants 0.00

Total $ 227,234.00

AUTHORIZED POSITIONS:

Permanent: Full Time 3

Part Time 0

Time-Limited: Full Time 0

Part Time 0

AMEND FURTHER by inserting the following new SECTIONS 18 and 19 and renumbering succeeding sections:

SECTION 18. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the State General

Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the purpose of providing support for the Mississippi Capital Post-Conviction Counsel Act and the Mississippi Death Penalty Defense Litigation Act as created in the 2000 Regular Session for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2000, and ending June 30, 2001 ................................................$ 2,051,827.00.

It is the intention of the Legislature that the necessary positions be authorized to support the Mississippi Capital Post-Conviction Counsel Act and the Mississippi Death Penalty Defense Litigation Act authorized in this section.

The funds authorized above shall only be expended if legislation passes during the 2000 Regular Session, which creates the Mississippi Capital Post-Conviction Counsel Act and the Mississippi Death Penalty Defense Litigation Act.

SECTION 19. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby reappropriated out of any money in the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated, to the Supreme Court, Administrative Office of the Courts and the Court of Appeals for the purpose of reauthorizing the expenditure of the State General Funds, as authorized in House Bill No. 1627, Regular Session of 1999, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2000, and ending June 30, 2001 ...................................$ 1,002,950.00.

Notwithstanding the amount reappropriated under the provisions of this section, in no event shall the amount expended exceed the unexpended balances of June 30, 2000.

   

CONFEREES FOR THE HOUSE

CONFEREES FOR THE SENATE

   

X (SIGNED:)

X (SIGNED:)

Charlie Capps, Jr.

Jack Gordon

   

X (SIGNED:)

X (SIGNED:)

Percy W. Watson

Bennie L. Turner

   

X (SIGNED:)

X (SIGNED:)

Warner F. McBride

Gloria Williamson