August 9, 1999
The
Honorable Trent Lott
Majority Leader
of the Senate
487 Senate Russell
Office Building
Washington, D.C.
20510-2403
Dear Senator Lott:
I write with regard
to the funding levels provided for the Judicial Branch in both the House and
Senate versions of the Commerce, Justice, State and the Judiciary FY 2000
appropriations bill.
The Senate recently
passed an appropriations bill (S. 1217) that will not be adequate to fund
the Judiciary's needs and obligations for FY 2000. It would provide $280 million
less than is required to furnish the services the Judiciary provided this
year, notwithstanding the growing workload of the federal courts. Such a cut
in the Judiciary's budget is both unjustified and impractical.
The House version
of the bill (H.R. 2670) provides a significant increase above the Senate,
but is still well below the Judiciary's FY 2000 request. It would provide
$180 million less than is required to furnish the services the Judiciary provided
this year, and it also would have a noticeable adverse impact on court operations.
In preparing the
Judiciary's budget proposal for Congress, the Judicial Conference was mindful
of budget cap constraints imposed this year, and therefore was careful to
submit a minimal budget proposal for salaries and expenses of the courts.
In fact, the Conference's budget proposal provides for no additional court
staff, a self-imposed freeze. This is the second year in a row that the courts
face such a "freeze" in staffing. Thus, if Congress provides the Judiciary's
full budget request for FY 2000, the courts will receive funding that allows
only the same level of staff funded in FY 1998. Yet the courts' workload has
continued to increase there has been a 22 percent increase in criminal filings
over the past two years alone and there are almost 100,000 released felons
who must be supervised by our probation officers. As you are aware, the courts
do not control their workload, but rather must respond to filings created
in large part by Congress' expansion of the federal courts' jurisdiction.
I therefore urge you to provide necessary funding for the Judiciary for FY
2000.
Thank you for your
consideration.
Sincerely,
cc: Honorable Ted
Stevens
Honorable Robert
C. Byrd