Chair called the meeting to order and opened the hearing on SB53.

Jason Thompson, Office of Revisor of Statutes, gave the bill brief.   (Attachment 1)

Chief Judge Grant Bannister, Chief District Court Justice of the 21st Judicial District and representing Kansas District Court Judges Association executive committee, testified in support of SB53.  He testified that county law libraries are funded from two sources: first, annual attorney fees and second, a small fraction of court filing fees. The current statute states that fees collected from the first source can be used "for the purpose of facilitating and enhancing functions of the district court of the county." An amendment would simply allow the second source to be used for this purpose as well, to the benefit of the public and members of the local bar association.(Attachment 2)

Judge Bannister stood for questions.

Chair Humphries closed hearing on SB53 at 3:51pm.