Vol. 37, Number 8—August 2005

Senate Committee Improves On House

The Senate Appropriations Committee has recommended a 6.1 percent increase in appropriations for fiscal year 2006 in the courts' Salaries and Expenses account, the largest part of the Judiciary’s funding pie. In funding for all accounts, the Judiciary would receive a total of $5.778 billion, a 6.5 percent increase.

The Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill of 2006, will be considered by the full Senate after Congress returns from its scheduled August recess.

In early July, the full House approved total funding for the Judiciary of $5.768 billion, with a 5.4 percent increase in the Salaries and Expenses account for court operating expenses.

Although both the House bill and Senate Appropriations Committee markup are below the Judiciary's FY 2006 request for $5.95 billion, the Senate mark should allow the Judiciary to maintain current services and add staff above FY 2005 levels.

However, the Senate mark would not cover all anticipated workload increases. In addition, some Judiciary accounts would receive less than needed. Funding at the committee level for the Defender Services account is $38 million below current services requirements, and $11 million below what the House has earmarked. The Court Security account would receive about $7 million less than provided by the House.

"The amounts provided by both the House and the Senate Appropriations Committee are very positive and reflect the effort across the country by many federal judges and the Administrative Office to educate Congress about the problems facing the courts as a result of constrained budgets," said Administrative Office Director Leonidas Ralph Mecham. "However, this congressional outreach needs to continue since we still face floor action on the Senate floor, conference between the House and Senate, and the possibility of across-the-board cuts in a delayed omnibus appropriations bill like those we have experienced in the previous two fiscal years."