Court Reporters Board of California: Shorthand reporters fees: Transcript Reimbursement Fund.

(1) Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of shorthand reporters by the Court Reporters Board of California, which is within the Department of Consumer Affairs, and authorizes the board to appoint an executive officer and committees and to employ other employees, as specified. Existing law repeals these provisions on January 1, 2017. This bill would extend the operation of the board and the authorization of the board to appoint specified personnel and committees until January 1, 2020. (2) Existing law authorizes the board, by resolution, to establish a fee for the renewal of a certificate issued by the board, and prohibits the fee from exceeding $125, as specified. Under existing law, all fees and revenues received by the board are deposited into the Court Reporters' Fund, which is a continuously appropriated fund as it pertains to fees collected by the board. This bill would raise that fee limit to $250. By authorizing an increase in a fee deposited into a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation. (3) Existing law requires, until January 1, 2017, certain fees and revenues collected by the board from licensees to be deposited into the Transcript Reimbursement Fund, which is established as a continuously appropriated fund, to be available to provide reimbursement for the cost of providing shorthand reporting services to low-income litigants in civil cases. Existing law authorizes, until January 1, 2017, low-income persons appearing pro se to apply for funds from the Transcript Reimbursement Fund, subject to specified requirements and limitations, including that total disbursements are prohibited from exceeding $30,000 annually and $1,500 per case. Existing law requires the board, until January 1, 2017, to publicize the availability of the Transcript Reimbursement Fund to prospective applicants. Existing law requires the unencumbered funds remaining in the Transcript Reimbursement Fund as of January 1, 2017, to be transferred to the Court Reporters' Fund. The bill would provide that the Transcript Reimbursement Fund is to be funded by a transfer of funds from the Court Reporters' Fund in the amount of $300,000 annually and authorizes the board to transfer funds in increments of $100,000. The bill would provide that the board may use existing resources to publicize the availability of the Transcript Reimbursement Fund to prospective applicants, as specified. The bill would instead prohibit disbursements from the Transcript Reimbursement Fund to pro se litigants from exceeding $75,000 annually. The bill would prohibit a vexatious litigant, as defined, from receiving funds from the Transcript Reimbursement Fund, except as specified. The bill would require the board to prepare and submit a report to the Legislature on or before November 1, 2018, regarding the condition of the Court Reporters' Fund, the condition of the Transcript Reimbursement Fund, and alternative funding sources to cover the costs associated with transcripts provided to indigent litigants, as specified. This bill would extend the operation of the provisions regarding the Transcript Reimbursement Fund until January 1, 2020, and recast and revise certain provisions regarding that fund. By extending the operation of the Transcript Reimbursement Fund, which is a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation. (4) This bill would include a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature.