For the central administration of the trial court, including costs associated with trial court non-employee services, dental and vision health plan agreements for employees who are subject to a collective bargaining agreement, jury expenses, law libraries, statewide telecommunications, private and municipal court rentals and leases, operation of courthouse facilities, rental of county court facilities, witness fees, printing expenses, equipment maintenance and repairs, the court interpreter program, insurance and chargeback costs, the Massachusetts sentencing commission, court security and judicial training; provided, that 50 per cent of all fees payable under rules 15(d) and 30(c)(8) of the Massachusetts Rules of Criminal Procedure shall be paid from this item; provided further, that funds may be expended for training on domestic violence issues, the maintenance of a domestic violence registry, evaluations of batterers' intervention programs and the risk assessment tool for domestic violence offenders under
chapter 260 of the acts of 2014; provided further, that not less than $378,000 shall be expended for the Race and Bias Initiative to expand the trial court's Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Experience and to provide additional diversity training for all court employees; provided further, that in planning and implementing the policies of the Race and Bias Initiative, the trial court's Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Experience shall solicit feedback from community stakeholders in order to identify any structural, organizational or cultural barriers to ensure equity in the justice system for people of racial, linguistic, cultural or sexual minorities and shall recommend methods to remove such barriers to guarantee the provision of competent representation and inclusive practices in every courtroom in the commonwealth; provided further, that funds shall be expended for juvenile court investigators rates at an amount that at least maintains the rates established in fiscal year 2023; provided further, that not less than $300,000 shall be expended to ensure the maintenance of an interactive text response system to remind litigants, including all criminal defendants in the district, Boston municipal and superior courts, of their court dates; provided further, that not less than $1,130,000 shall be expended to hire mental health clinicians; provided further, that said mental health clinicians shall be distributed to court facilities in a geographically equitable manner; provided further, that funds may be expended to provide information and assistance to self-represented litigants; provided further, that the trial court shall submit quarterly reports to the house and senate committees on ways and means on revenues collected in the trial court; provided further, that each report shall provide for the previous quarter for each court division and courthouse: (i) the total amount ordered in fees and fines; (ii) the total amount dismissed in fees and fines; (iii) the total amount paid in fees and fines; and (iv) the total amount outstanding in fees and fines; provided further, that not later than February 1, 2024, the court administrator shall submit a report to the house and senate committees on ways and means detailing the number of court officers, per diem court officers and security personnel located in each trial court of the commonwealth; provided further, that notwithstanding
section 9A of chapter 30 of the General Laws or any other general or special law to the contrary, the rights afforded to a veteran under said
section 9A of said chapter 30, shall also be afforded to any such veteran who holds a trial court office or position in the service of the commonwealth not classified under
chapter 31 of the General Laws, other than an elective office, an appointive office for a fixed term or an office or position under
section 7 of said chapter 30 and who has: (a) held the office or position for not less than 1 year; and (b) completed 30 years of total creditable service to the commonwealth as defined in
chapter 32 of the General Laws; provided further, that the trial court shall submit a report to the victim and witness assistance board detailing the amount of assessments imposed within each court by a justice or clerk-magistrate during the previous calendar year under
section 8 of chapter 258B of the General Laws; provided further, that the report shall include, but not be limited to, the number of cases in which the assessment was reduced or waived by a judge or clerkmagistrate within the courts; provided further, that not later than January 5, 2024, the report shall be submitted to the victim and witness assistance board; provided further, that not less than 15 days before the transfer of funds between items within the trial court, the court administrator shall submit a report to the house and senate committees on ways and means that shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (1) the amount of funds transferred from any item of appropriation; (2) the line item number of the appropriation making the transfer; (3) the line item number of the appropriation receiving the transfer; and (4) the reason for the transfer; and provided further, that not less than $75,000 shall be expended for the community outreach clinics and pro bono activities of the University of Massachusetts School of Law to provide direct legal assistance in the area of tenants' rights
