On March 10, the House approved, by voice vote, a bill (H.R. 2714) that would authorize $7 million annually for the State Justice Institute (SJI) through FY2008. The House Judiciary Committee approved the measure on September 10 (see The Source, 9/12/03).
Highlighting the importance of the SJI, Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) stated, “Since becoming operational in 1987, the institute has awarded more than $125 million in grants to support over 1,000 projects. Another $40 million in matching requirements has been granted from other public and private funding sources…About one-third of all SJI grants are devoted to educating State judges on how to improve the operation of their courts.”
Rep. Lamar Smith (D-TX) pointed out that the SJI “provides funding for programs which help improve access to the courts. It trains and assists courts in child custody, domestic violence, juvenile crime, and sexual assault cases. The SJI also works to create the use of technology in the courtroom, as well as create reforms to reduce the amount of time and money associated with litigation.”
