Jim Sensenbrenner: “Mr. Speaker, Congress established the State Justice Institute as a private nonprofit corporation in 1984. Its purpose is…”

“Mr. Speaker, Congress established the State Justice Institute as a private nonprofit corporation in 1984. Its purpose is to improve judicial administration in the State courts. SJI accomplishes this goal by providing funds to State courts and to other national organizations or nonprofits that support State courts. SJI also fosters cooperation with the Federal judiciary in areas of mutual concern. Pursuant to oversight legislation passed in the previous Congress, the Attorney General, in consultation with the Federal Judicial Center, conducted review of the SJI operations and reported its findings to Congress late last year. The results are encouraging. The Attorney General noted that the Institute has been effective and has complied with its statutory mission, and observed that support for State court innovation and improvement is a Federal interest. Mr. Speaker, based upon the beneficial work SJI has done, I believe it should be afforded a congressional reauthorization, and that is the purpose of this bill. More specifically, section 2 of the bill authorizes $7 million annually for SJI operations over a 4-year cycle.”