§ 13-1-301 — Legislative declaration

(1) The general assembly hereby finds
that:

(a) Providing access to state court facilities and ensuring the safety of
employees and other users of state court facilities are fundamental components of
ensuring access to justice for the people of the state of Colorado;

(b) Recent years have seen numerous occasions in which courthouse repair,
renovation, improvement, and expansion needs have become important priorities
for judicial districts and the counties they serve;

(c) In some cases these needs result from anticipated causes, such as
expanding caseloads, the allocations of new judges to the district, or the aging of
existing courtroom facilities and the attendant need to bring them up to current
operational and safety standards;

(d) In other cases the needs are driven by unexpected events, such as
natural disasters, accidents, or the discovery of previously unknown threats to
health and safety; and

(e) While the responsibility for providing adequate courtrooms and other
court facilities lies with county governments, the geographically, demographically,
and economically diverse nature of our state affects the level of funding and
services that each county can provide.

(2) The general assembly, therefore, determines and declares that:

(a) The creation of the underfunded courthouse facility cash fund
commission and the underfunded courthouse facility cash fund is beneficial to and
in the best interests of the people of the state of Colorado; and

(b) The purpose of the commission and the fund is to provide supplemental
funding for courthouse facility projects in the counties with the most limited
financial resources.

Legislative History

Source: L. 2014: Entire part added, (HB 14-1096), ch. 186, p. 691, � 1, effective May 14.