Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the State Budget Judiciary topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Supreme Court seeks amended funds to cover rent, DPS trooper and insurance premium increases
Summary
Presiding Justice Peterson told the appropriations subcommittee the Supreme Court submitted four pass-through increases in the amended budget to cover higher rent charges, a trooper agreement with the Department of Public Safety and agency insurance premiums.
Presiding Justice Peterson, representing the Supreme Court, told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Judiciary that the court submitted four amended budget requests to cover pass-through increases that emerged after the FY26 budget was drafted.
Peterson said the items are “fairly straightforward. There's 4 of them. They're all pass through funds” and enumerated them as 10.1.1 through 10.1.4, including increased rent charged by the Georgia Building Authority, funds for a trooper agreement with the Department of Public Safety, and higher agency insurance premiums from DOAS and the State Accounting Office.
The nut graf: The requests are not new programs but adjustments to existing pass-through costs the court cannot absorb without an amendment to this year’s budget. The committee heard questions about whether any of the increases would be used for building security upgrades and about workforce turnover inside the court.
Peterson told the committee 10.1.1 covers a higher GBA rent charge; 10.1.2 covers higher billings tied to a trooper provided through the Department of Public Safety for the Chief Justice’s office; and 10.1.3 and 10.1.4 are increases in agency premiums. He offered to provide more detail if the committee wanted it.
Chairman Gunner asked whether the rent increase referenced “Capitol Police Security and Operation Expenses” and whether the Supreme Court would be seeking additional funds to address identified security lapses in the building. Peterson said a separate study on appellate judge security has focused on outside-the-courthouse protections and that GBA notified the court of rent increases tied to building security work, but “to my knowledge, we do not have any request for that at this time.” He added he could discuss specifics offline but did not want to detail security lapses in public.
On staffing, Peterson said the court has experienced “72% turnover” among permanent staff attorneys since FY20 and has been filling openings by shifting central staff. He said hiring now takes “considerably longer” than it did historically, often four to six months for a filled vacancy, which contributes to personnel pressure.
Ending: Committee members did not object to hearing the amended requests and reserved more detailed questions for the full budget cycle. Peterson said the Supreme Court would provide follow-up details on any line items on request.
