Courts: unexpended funds.

Existing law requires the Judicial Council to adopt a budget and allocate funding for trial courts. Existing law requires the Judicial Council, when allocating funding to trial courts, to set a preliminary allocation, as specified. Existing law requires the Judicial Council to set aside specified funds for unforeseen emergencies, unanticipated expenses for existing programs, and unavoidable funding shortfalls, and to allocate those funds, as specified. Existing law requires the Judicial Council to annually report to the Legislature regarding the use of those funds. This bill would remove the requirement that the Judicial Council set preliminary allocations, set aside funds, and report to the Legislature regarding the use of those funds. Existing law, until June 30, 2014, authorized a trial court to carry unexpended funds over from one fiscal year to the next. Existing law, commencing June 30, 2014, authorizes a trial court to carry over unexpended funds in an amount not to exceed 1% of the court's operating budget from the prior fiscal year. Existing law exempts certain funds from the calculation of the 1% authorized to be carried over from the prior fiscal year. This bill would repeal the 1% limitation described above, and, instead, would allow the Judicial Council to authorize a trial court to carry unexpended funds over from one fiscal year to the next.