Legislative declaration

(1) The general assembly finds, determines, and declares that: (a) The provision of administrative support services for independent agencies created in the judicial department and associated appropriations should be as efficient as possible; (b) Since 2015, five additional independent agencies, not including the office of administrative services for independent agencies, have been added to the judicial department. Since their inception, none of these five independent agencies and the independent ethics commission, established in 2007, have received direct appropriations or other direct funding necessary to deliver internal support of the administrative services outlined in section 13-100-103 (8)(a). (c) The intent of the general assembly when creating each independent agency was that the judicial department, through the office of the state court administrator, could most efficiently provide centralized administrative support services to the independent agencies. However, the judicial department has increasingly limited or restricted administrative support services to these independent agencies, and the independent agencies have not received access to statewide systems and structures of support that are generally provided to state programs. (d) It is critical that the office of administrative services for independent agencies be established for the provision of centralized administrative support services for current and future independent agencies that are in need of administrative support from the office of administrative services for independent agencies. Furthermore, it is imperative that the judicial department, through the office of the state court administrator, provide these administrative support services for the office of administrative services for independent agencies and the included agencies until the transition of services is complete, and effectively partner with the office of administrative services for independent agencies and support the transition of services described in this article 100 until the transition of services is complete.