Bill Text: VA HB353 | 2014 | Regular Session | Prefiled


Bill Title: Judicial caseloads; weighted caseload system.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-02-12 - Left in Courts of Justice [HB353 Detail]

Download: Virginia-2014-HB353-Prefiled.html
14100936D
HOUSE BILL NO. 353
Offered January 8, 2014
Prefiled January 3, 2014
A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 17.1-100.1, relating to judicial caseloads; weighted caseload system.
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Patron-- Hope
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Committee Referral Pending
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 17.1-100.1 as follows:

§17.1-100.1. Judicial caseloads; weighted caseload system.

The Supreme Court shall develop a weighted caseload system to precisely measure and compare judicial caseloads throughout the Commonwealth on the circuit court, general district court, and juvenile and domestic relations district court levels. The system shall include the development of a comprehensive workload model, an objective means of determining the need for judicial positions, an assessment of the optimum distribution of judicial positions throughout the Commonwealth, and a valid measure of judicial workload in all circuit and district courts, including variations in complexity of different case types and non-case-related responsibilities of judges in single jurisdiction and multijurisdiction circuits and districts. The Court shall use the system to evaluate the current allocation of judicial resources and establish a transparent and empirically driven formula for the Court and the General Assembly to use in determining the appropriate level of judicial resources in each circuit and district.

The Supreme Court shall report to the General Assembly every tenth year beginning November 1, 2013, on the weighted caseload in each court in each county and city and in each circuit and district. The report shall include the current number of judges assigned to each court in each county and city. The Court shall also include a recommendation on the number of judges necessary for each court in each county and city within each circuit and district.

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