Committee passes Marion County judiciary restructuring bill as amended

Representative Lopez told the Judiciary Committee that House Bill 1033 grew from months of stakeholder work to strengthen administration of Marion County Superior Court. "So there's 3, at a high level, there's 3 aspects to this bill," Lopez said, describing new administrative structure, improved communication with JRAC and the Community Corrections Advisory Committee, and stronger accountability through changes to the Marion County judicial selection and retention process.

The bill would create the role of a chief judge, extend executive‑committee terms to three years, and empower the committee to hire senior judges and magistrates, reassign cases and better align judges and courts to improve outcomes in Marion County Superior Court. Lopez also said the measure requires certain committee votes to be taken in person.

Judge Steve Creason, appearing on behalf of his colleagues, said the court appreciated being included in the drafting process but remained "neutral overall to the bill because there are some things that our members are deeply concerned about." Creason described the court’s large size and the executive committee’s current functions as context for the proposed changes.

A committee member moved to pass the bill as amended; the committee recorded a roll call with a reported tally of 12–0 in favor. The chair noted some members were changing or planning to change prior votes on related items; the bill will proceed to the next stage of the legislative process.