Budget Amendment ID: FY2016-S3-120-R3

3rd Redraft JUD 120

Court Records Retention

Mr. Brownsberger moved that the proposed new text be amended by inserting after section 53 the following 3 sections:-

“SECTION 53A.  Section 27A of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2012 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 10, the word “twenty” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- 10.

SECTION 53B.  Said section 27A of said chapter 221, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 13, the word “twenty” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- 10.

SECTION 53C.  Said section 27A of said chapter 221, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in lines 31 and 32, the words “and in the case of a district court, without an order of the standing justice of such district court.”; and

by inserting after section 104 the following section:-

“SECTION 104A.  Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, not later than January  4, 2016, the court administrator of the trial court shall file a report with the chairs of the house and senate committees on ways and means detailing a plan to implement a system to provide civil and criminal case information on the internet to make courts more accessible to the general public which shall identify, without limitation, a timeline with specific targeted dates for implementation and a process to provide the general public with access to basic docket information on active civil and criminal cases. In the development of this plan, the court administrator shall take into consideration the principles provided by the justices of the supreme judicial court in the Policy Statement by the Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court Concerning Publication of Court Case Information on the Web, dated May, 2003, or any successive statement taking into account necessary amendments according to chapter 256 of the acts of 2010.”