476.415. Commission on judicial resources, established--members, terms--access to reports, when--staff allowed, assistance rendered, when.
Commission on judicial resources, established--members, terms--accessto reports, when--staff allowed, assistance rendered, when.
476.415. 1. There is hereby created a "Commission on JudicialResources", to be comprised of the following persons:
(1) A circuit court judge elected by the circuit court judges of thestate;
(2) A judge of the court of appeals elected by the judges of thecourt of appeals of the state;
(3) An associate circuit judge elected by the associate circuitjudges of the state;
(4) A senior judge under the provisions of section 476.001 appointedby the supreme court;
(5) An attorney appointed by the board of governors of the MissouriBar;
(6) The chairman of the judiciary committee of the senate;
(7) The chairman of the judiciary committee of the house ofrepresentatives;
(8) A member of the appropriations committee of the senate, appointedby the president pro tem;
(9) A member of the budget committee of the house of representatives,appointed by the speaker;
(10) The executive director of the public defender commission; and
(11) One prosecuting or circuit attorney elected by the prosecutingand circuit attorneys of this state.
2. The legislative members of the commission shall serve during theperiod they hold the committee assignments qualifying them for the office.The appointed and elective members shall serve for two years and untiltheir successors are appointed and qualified. If a vacancy occurs in anyof the appointed or elected members, a successor shall be appointed orelected by the body originally appointing or electing the position for whomthe vacancy occurs for the remainder of the unexpired term. The commissionshall meet within sixty days after the appointment of the members at thecall of the chief justice of the supreme court and shall meet subsequentlyat the call of the chairman. The commission shall elect its own officersas necessary. The members of the commission shall receive no compensationfor their services, but shall be reimbursed for their actual and necessaryexpenses paid out of appropriations made for that purpose except thatsenior judges shall be credited for time actually spent in the performanceof duties according to section 476.682.
3. The commission shall have full access to the reports filedpursuant to section 476.412, examine and prepare a digest of such reports,conduct a comprehensive study of the state's judicial system, assess theneeds, priorities, workload, case management and general performance of thecourt system and for the judges thereof. The commission shall make anannual report to the supreme court and the general assembly before theconvening of each session of the general assembly in which they shalldetail the true state of the judicial system in this state, its success orinability to handle the caseload, and the efficiency of disposition ofjudicial business and the administration of justice. The report shalldetail the utilization of judges transferred between circuits and of seniorjudges as provided in section 476.681, including an appraisal of the effectthat the appointment of senior judges and transfer of judges has on theefficiency of the courts and the reduction of caseloads. The report shallinclude a detailed breakdown of the needs of specific courts and thecommission's recommendations.
4. The clerk of the supreme court shall provide suitable staff forthe commission out of any funds appropriated for this purpose. Thecommission may seek and receive gifts, donations and grants in aid fromprivate or other sources to defray expenses incurred in its assessment ofjudicial resources.
(L. 1989 S.B. 439 § 4, A.L. 1999 S.B. 1, et al., A.L. 2009 H.B. 481)