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SB 4077

$FY27 SUPREME COURT

104th Regular Session Introduced by Elgie Sims

Illinois funds the Supreme Court for operations, tech modernization, backlogs reduction, access to justice, and language services with targeted line-item grants.

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Bill Summary · SB 4077

Overview

SB4077 (104th General Assembly, Illinois) introduced February 25, 2026, seeks to appropriate funds to the Illinois Supreme Court for a range of operating, programmatic, and project needs for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027. The bill specifies multiple line-item appropriations from various state funds to support court operations, technology, access to justice, and related activities. Effective date: July 1, 2026.

Purpose and Intent

  • Provide comprehensive funding to the Illinois Supreme Court to support ongoing operations, program development, modernization, and access-to-justice initiatives.
  • Allocate resources to reduce case backlogs, modernize court technology, expand interpreter and language-access services, and support public defense funding through counties.
  • Ensure funds are available for mandatory arbitration, foreign language interpretation, electronic filing and case management systems, and other Supreme Court priorities.

Key Provisions and Allocations

  • General Revenue Fund: $573,827,400 (for operational expenses, awards, grants, permanent improvements, and probation reimbursements for FY ending 6/30/2027).
  • Mandatory Arbitration Fund: $29,131,200 (for Mandatory Arbitration Programs).
  • Foreign Language Interpreter Fund: $708,800 (Foreign Language Interpreter Program).
  • Supreme Court Special Purposes Fund: $20,793,900 (oversight and management of electronic filing, case management systems, and committees/commissions).
  • Supreme Court Federal Projects Fund: $10,000,000 (expenses related to various federal projects).
  • Supreme Court Special State Projects Fund: $6,000,000 (expenses related to various state projects).
  • Supreme Court Indirect Cost Fund: $1,000,000 (administrative expenses).
  • Cannabis Expungement Fund: $500,000 (distribution to clerks of the circuit court to facilitate expungement petitions for minor cannabis offenses under the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act).
  • Mandatory Arbitration Fund: $5,000,000 (reduction of case backlogs, handling increased filings, modernizing court tech, and supporting Access to Justice Programs).
  • Public Defender Fund: $10,000,000 (funding to counties for public defenders and public defender services).

Who Is Affected

  • Illinois Supreme Court and its administrative offices receive funding for operations, technology, and programs.
  • Court system entities benefiting from funding include:
    • Clerks of the circuit court (via Cannabis Expungement Fund distributions).
    • Counties (public defender funding channel through the Public Defender Fund).
    • Mandatory arbitration programs and related proceedings.
    • Foreign language interpreters and language-access services for court proceedings.
    • Entities involved in electronic filing, case management systems, and court technology modernization.
  • General public and litigants may benefit indirectly through reduced backlogs, faster case handling, expanded access to interpretation, and improved judicial administration.

Procedural and Timeline Details

  • Effective Date: July 1, 2026.
  • Fiscal Year Coverage: The appropriations are for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027.
  • The bill is an appropriations act, allocating funds from multiple specific funds to various Supreme Court programs and initiatives.

Notable Considerations

  • The package broadly funds modernization (technology and case management) and access-to-justice initiatives, which may impact court efficiency and equity.
  • Several funds have earmarked purposes (e.g., Cannabis Expungement Fund, Foreign Language Interpreter Fund) with particular distribution aims, indicating a targeted use beyond general operations.
  • The total General Revenue Fund allocation is substantial, underscoring a prioritized investment in the Supreme Court’s operations and reform efforts for FY2027.

If you’d like, I can provide a plain-language table of all line-item appropriations and the programs they fund.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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