North Carolina § 7A-340 - Administrative Office of the Courts; establishment; officers.

§ 7A-340. Administrative Office of the Courts; establishment; officers.

There is hereby established a State office to be known as the Administrative Office of the Courts. It shall be supervised by a Director, assisted by an assistant director. History (1965, c. 310, s. 1.) Cross References. - As to reports on vacant positions in the Judicial Department, see G.S. 120-12.1. As to authorization for the Legislative Services Commission and the Administrative Office of the Courts to establish safety and health programs for their employees, see G.S. 143-589. Federal Grant Reporting. - Session Laws 2011-145, s. 18.1, provides: "The Department of Correction [Division of Adult Correction], the Department of Justice, the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety [Department of Public Safety], the Judicial Department, and the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention [Division of Juvenile Justice] shall report by May 1 of each year to the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations, the Chairs of the House of Representatives and Senate Appropriations Committees, and the Chairs of the House of Representatives and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Justice and Public Safety on federal grant funds received or preapproved for receipt by those departments. The report shall include information on the amount of grant funds received or preapproved for receipt by each department, the use of the funds, the State match expended to receive the funds, and the period to be covered by each grant. If the department intends to continue the program beyond the end of the grant period, the department shall report on the proposed method for continuing the funding of the program at the end of the grant period. Each department shall also report on any information it may have indicating that the State will be requested to provide future funding for a program presently supported by a local grant." For prior similar provisions, see Session Laws 2003-284, s. 16.1, Session Laws 2005-276, s. 17.1, Session Laws 2007-323, s. 17.5, and Session Laws 2009-451, s. 19.2. E-Courts Information Technology Initiative. - Session Laws 2015-241, s. 18A.21(a)-(e), provides: "(a) The Administrative Office of the Courts shall establish a strategic plan for the design and implementation of its e-Courts information technology initiative by February 1, 2016. The e-Courts initiative, when fully implemented, will provide for the automation of all court processes, including the electronic filing, retrieval, and processing of documents. The strategic plan shall: "(1) Clearly articulate the requirements for the e-Courts system, including well-defined milestones, costs parameters, and performance measures. "(2) Prioritize the funding needs for implementation of the various elements of the system, after consultation with the e-Courts advisory committee established by subsection (c) of this section. "(3) Identify any potential issues that may arise in the development of the system and plans for mitigating those issues. "(4) Address the potential for incorporating any currently existing resources into the e-Courts system. "(b) The Administrative Office of the Courts shall report quarterly beginning November 1, 2015, to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety and the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Information Technology on the development, implementation, and specific costs of the strategic plan required by subsection (a) of this section and on any changes in the projected costs for implementing the e-Courts system or the schedule for implementation. The report shall also provide an accounting of the use of funds appropriated in this act for development of the e-Courts initiative. "(c) The Administrative Office of the Courts shall establish an e-Courts advisory committee consisting of clerks of superior court, judges, district attorneys, public defenders, and representatives of the State Bar in order to ensure that, in the development and implementation of the strategic plan required by subsection (a) of this section, it has the input and advice of those stakeholders in the e-Courts system and the benefit of the various stakeholders' expertise on the information technology needs of the courts. The advisory committee shall be guided by an executive steering committee. "(d) Upon completion of the strategic plan required by subsection (a) of this section, the Administrative Office of the Courts shall issue a Request for Information (RFI) for a contractor to provide the e-Courts system as outlined in the strategic plan. The Administrative Office of the Courts shall evaluate the responses to the RFI before issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the e-Courts system. "(e) As a precursor to the implementation of its e-Courts initiative, the Administrative Office of the Courts shall establish a pilot program in New Hanover County for the online collection and payment of court costs, fines, and related fees, with the potential of expanding the program statewide at the conclusion of a successful pilot. The costs incurred by the programs established pursuant to this section shall be borne by vendors selected by the Administrative Office of the Courts. The Administrative Office of the Courts shall report by March 1, 2016, to the chairs of the Joint Legislative Committee on Justice and Public Safety and the chairs of the House of Representatives and Senate Appropriations Committees on Justice and Public Safety on the pilot program established pursuant to this section and its plans to expand the program statewide." Session Laws 2018-5, s. 18B.4(b), provides: "The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) shall develop a plan for implementing the e-Courts system, including estimates of the overall scope, the overall cost, annual costs, and the benchmarks that will be met in each year of the project. AOC is encouraged to consult with the Department of Information Technology when developing the plan for the e-Courts system. AOC shall submit the plan for the e-Courts system to the chairs of the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee on Justice and Public Safety and the Senate Appropriations Committee on Justice and Public Safety no later than March 1, 2019." Editor's Note. - Session Laws 2011-145, s. 1.1, provides: "This act shall be known as the 'Current Operations and Capital Improvements Appropriations Act of 2011.'" Session Laws 2011-145, s. 32.2, provides: "Except for statutory changes or other provisions that clearly indicate an intention to have effects beyond the 2011 2013 fiscal biennium, the textual provisions of this act apply only to funds appropriated for, and activities occurring during, the 2011 2013 fiscal biennium." Session Laws 2011-145, s. 32.5 is a severability clause. Session Laws 2015-241, s. 18A.13, provides: "The Administrative Office of the Courts shall provide direction and oversight to the existing family court programs in order to ensure that each district with a family court program is utilizing best practices and is working effectively and efficiently in the disposition of domestic and juvenile cases. The Administrative Office of the Courts shall report on its efforts in this regard and the results of those efforts to the chairs of the House of Representatives and Senate Appropriations Committee on Justice and Public Safety and the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety by March 1 of each year." For prior similar provisions, see Session Laws 2012-142, s. 16.2, and Session Laws 2013-360, s. 18B.6, as amended by Session Laws 2014-100, s. 18B.4. Session Laws 2015-241, s. 18A.17(a), provides: "The Office of Indigent Defense Services is transferred within the Judicial Department to the Administrative Office of the Courts." Session Laws 2015-241, s. 1.1, provides: "This act shall be known as 'The Current Operations and Capital Improvements Appropriations Act of 2015.'" Session Laws 2015-241, s. 33.4, provides: "Except for statutory changes or other provisions that clearly indicate an intention to have effects beyond the 2015-2017 fiscal biennium, the textual provisions of this act apply only to funds appropriated for, and activities occurring during, the 2015-2017 fiscal biennium." Session Laws 2015-241, s. 33.6, is a severability clause.