Senate Sponsors: KLEMM-GEO-KARIS. House Sponsors: MORROW-DURKIN Short description: ASSOCIATE JUDGES ACT-MINIMUM 5 Synopsis of Bill as introduced: Amends the Associate Judges Act. Provides that the minimum number of associate judges authorized for any circuit with a population of at least 173,000 (instead of any circuit with a population of at least 173,000 but not more than 177,000) shall be 5. Effective immediately. SENATE AMENDMENT NO. 1. Adds reference to: 705 ILCS 35/2k new Eliminates the amendatory changes in the bill as introduced. Provides that the minimum number of associate judges authorized for the Fifth Judicial Circuit shall be 5. Amends the Circuit Courts Act. Provides that there shall be 2 additional circuit judges in the 19th Circuit who are elected from Lake County and 2 additional circuit judges in the 19th Circuit who are elected from McHenry County. HOUSE AMENDMENT NO. 1. Deletes reference to: 705 ILCS 45/2 Deletes everything except a Section heading in the Circuit Courts Act. FISCAL NOTE, H-AM 2 (Administrative Office of Illinois Courts) The cost for judgeships added by the bill is $5,718,867. The additional cost to fill the Eleventh and Twelfth Circuit resi- dent judge positions immediately if $682,730. The cost for all new judicial position for FY 2002 (including the net increase in associate judges resulting from the 2000 census) is $9,455,526. The annual judicial salary costs are based on compensation rates effective July 1, 2001. Employment benefit costs would increase the judicial salary costs by approximately 1.45%. The estimated total cost for staff, office space and related expenses for each additional appellate court judge is $289,000. HOUSE AMENDMENT NO. 2. Deletes reference to: 705 ILCS 35/2k new Adds reference to: 705 ILCS 25/1 705 ILCS 35/2 705 ILCS 35/2f-1 new 705 ILCS 35/2f-2 new 705 ILCS 35/2f-3 new 705 ILCS 35/2f-4 new 705 ILCS 40/2 from Ch. 37, par. 72.42 705 ILCS 45/2.5 new Deletes everything. Amends the Appellate Court Act, the Circuit Courts Act, the Judicial Vacancies Act, and the Associate Judges Act. Adds one appellate judge in the fourth district, 2 appellate judges in the second district, and one appellate judge in the fifth district of the appellate court. Adds one associate judge in the fourth judicial circuit and 6 associate judges in the Circuit of Cook County. Adds one circuit judge in each of the fourteenth and thirteenth judicial circuits. Adds 2 circuit judges in the seventeenth judicial circuit. Adds one circuit judge from St. Clair County in the twentieth judicial circuit. Adds one circuit judge from Madison County in the third judicial circuit. Adds 3 circuit judges to the sixteenth circuit, one from each of Kendall, Kane, and DeKalb counties. Adds 15 circuit judges in the Cook County Circuit, one from each subcircuit. Provides for appointment to fill these additional appellate, circuit, and Cook County subcircuit judgeships until filled at the 2002 general election. Provides that vacancies in certain previously authorized circuit judgeships must be filled immediately by Supreme Court appointment. Adds 3 resident judgeships to the eighteenth circuit and 3 resident judgeships to the nineteenth judicial circuit. Requires that the additional judgeships be filled beginning at the 2004 general election and requires appointments to fill those judgeships before the 2004 general election. In the twelfth judicial circuit, converts 3 judgeships to resident judgeships. Requires that by January 1, 2003, the General Assembly divide the twelfth, eighteenth, and nineteenth circuits into subcircuits. Requires that the Supreme Court allot the additional judgeships, the converted judgeships, and the other resident judgeships, as they become vacant, to the various subcircuits to be filled by election until the appropriate number of resident judges is elected from each subcircuit. In the eighteenth circuit, converts the first vacant non-resident judgeship into a subcircuit judgeship. Requires the Supreme Court to determine by lot the numerical order of the subcircuits for the purpose of assigning resident judgeships to subcircuits. Effective immediately. JUDICIAL NOTE, H-AM 2 (Office of the Illinois Courts) The bill would increase the number of judges in the State by adding 4 appellate court judges, 31 circuit judges, and 7 associate judges. STATE MANDATES NOTE, H-AM 2 (Department of Commerce and Community Affairs) In the opinion of DCCA, SB 118 (H-am 2) does not meet the definition of a State mandate under the State Mandates Act. Last action on Bill: SESSION SINE DIE Last action date: JAN-07-2003 Location: Senate Amendments to Bill: AMENDMENTS ADOPTED: HOUSE - 2 SENATE - 1 END OF INQUIRY Full Text Bill Status