The Senate Finance Committee heard from the Territorial Court, Public Defender's Office and the Judicial Council Wednesday afternoon in the committee's continuing Fiscal Year 2001 budget hearings.
Presiding Territorial Court Judge Maria Cabret told the committee that the court's $23.8 million budget request would help fill its 101 vacant positions, 27 of which are critical, but would not even address retroactive wages. Cabret said employees hadn't had a raise since 1994, and she lauded all the employees on their dedication.
"We're very conservative,"she said, "We even recycle our paper." However, she said, the court must computerize, which will take substantial funding. She said the buildings are beginning to deteriorate, and moreover, "Our employees cannot be continually asked to produce
more and more with less and less."
Cabret referred to retired Territorial Court Judge Verne Hodge's appeal in 1998 that the legislature appeal to Congress for a return of a portion on the gasoline excise tax on petroleum products produced in the territory. She also cited the Economic Task Force report's recommendation to seek federal funding for earned income credit, which the report said could result in $12 million per year. Cabret said, "I deem it most important we follow those plans we so carefully make . . . if we are to see our way out of this financial crisis."
Cabret said the Court has implemented a case delay reduction program, devised a new judge's schedule allowing more cases to be heard, and reduced the turnaround time for small claims cases to two months.
District Court Judge Raymond Finch testified for the Judicial Council's budget request of $388,000. Attorney Harold Willocks represented the Public Defender's Office's request of $3 million. Territorial Court Judge Brenda Hollar also attended the hearing.
An updated personnel listing, included in Post-Auditor Campbell Malone's Territorial Court Budget analysis, showed nine steel band employees – a chief instructor, assistant instructor and assorted arranger/instructors – receive a total yearly income of $252,840. A Territorial Court Judge earns $100,000 yearly.
Attending the hearing with Committee chairwoman Lorraine Berry were Sens. Anne Golden, Gregory Bennerson, David Jones, Roosevelt David and George Goodwin.
