Rhode Island judiciary tells House subcommittee governor—s budget slashes operating funds; seeks pay, interpreter investments

At an April 1 meeting of the Rhode Island House Subcommittee on Public Safety, state court officials warned that the governor—s recommended fiscal 2026 budget would sharply reduce the judiciary—s operating funds and asked lawmakers to restore money to implement staff pay changes and expand language-access services.

The request matters because the judiciary said reductions would affect court operations, indigent defense, juror services and language access for non-English speakers, including Cape Verdean Creole and Portuguese speakers who the courts said are increasingly using court services.

Ethan, a member of House fiscal staff, opened the presentation with a summary of the budget figures the administration submitted. He said the governor recommends $159.2 million for the judiciary for fiscal 2026, about $11.3 million more than enacted, and he described a separate comparison in which the governor—s recommended total for a portion of the judiciary—s request was $121.0 million, $15.1 million more than enacted and $6.6 million more than the judiciary requested. Ethan also described several categories within the budget and the governor—s unidentified operating reductions.

Julie Hamill, the state court administrator, told the panel the judiciary—s own submission to the governor identified three principal budget components: salary and benefits, operating costs and assistance and grants (primarily indigent defense). She…