Senate committee clears bill letting courts reassign existing AOC funds for operations

Senator Coleman introduced SB182, a measure to allow the Administrative Office of Courts (AOC) greater flexibility in using an existing fund to support court operations. Casey Bates, identified in committee as an AOC representative, said the fund currently holds about $1,500,000 and that the bill is intended as a bookkeeping change rather than a new appropriation.

Bates explained the money held in the fund comes primarily from e-filing fees and similar revenue sources and that currently AOC holds funds that serve the Supreme Court, the Court of Civil Appeals and the Court of Criminal Appeals. SB182 would create separate funds so each appellate court could hold and access its own money directly instead of requesting disbursements from a pooled AOC account.

Committee members asked about oversight and whether concentrating discretion risked giving a single person broad allocation authority. Bates said each court oversees its own money and that the administrative director of courts also has oversight responsibilities. The chair framed the bill as a response to growing operational demands—such as more judges and associated costs—and said the aim was to give courts flexibility to meet those needs.

After discussion, the chair called for a motion and a long roll call. Multiple senators recorded "Aye" and the chair announced SB182 received a favorable report from the committee.