On the recordDecember 8, 2020
I include in the Record a letter from the Judicial Conference of the United States. Judicial Conference of the United States, Washington, DC, December 7, 2020. Hon. Steny Hoyer, Majority Leader, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Leader: I write on behalf of the Judicial Conference of the United States, the policy-making body of the federal Judiciary, to express our continued strong opposition to H.R. 8235, the Open Courts Act of 2020 (``OCA''), which is scheduled for floor action on Tuesday, December 8, 2020. This legislation--which will take years to implement--rushes forward without appropriate and necessary assurances and provisions regarding the budget for such an enormous undertaking. The bill as drafted will have devastating budgetary and operational impact on the Judiciary and our ability to serve the public. We very much appreciate that you, along with House Judiciary Courts Subcommittee Chairman Hank Johnson, intervened last week after my helpful conversation with Chairman Johnson to prompt more dialogue between the branches. The many hours of staff conversations, through the weekend, that followed your encouragement led to some significant textual changes to the bill. We are grateful for those efforts which addressed some of our concerns with the previous version of the bill. Very serious concerns remain, however, and further dialogue is much needed.…
