Lawyers e-Journal
Thursday, May. 5, 2011
Photograph by
Jennifer Rosinski
MBA President Denise Squillante and Past President Leo V. Boyle testify before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary at the State House on May 3.
Legislative News
MBA leaders testify in support of historic court reform legislation
MBA President Denise Squillante and Past President Leo V. Boyle
testified before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary at the State
House on May 3, urging the Legislature to swiftly pass legislation
to professionalize Trial Court management to better align
Massachusetts with other innovative and forward-thinking court
systems.
"This proposal brings to fruition more than 30 years of best
practices from the state and the nation," said Squillante while
testifying before the committee. "I encourage you to seize this
unique opportunity to implement true reform that will place
Massachusetts where it should be, as a national model for an
innovative and effective court system."
Squillante and Boyle testified that House Bill No. 3395 will
benefit litigants and the public alike as it presents multiple
efficiencies for the court system. Specifically, the creation of a
court administrator position to be assumed by an expert,
non-judicial civilian administrator, is reform long advocated by
the MBA. The MBA's independently commissioned 1991 Harbridge House Report and the 2003 MBA Court Study Task Force Report both
included detailed findings and recommendations regarding the employ
of such an administrator.
As reported by State House News Service on May 3, if
the Judiciary Committee's vote is favorable by 3 p.m. on May 5,
the legislation would head to the House Ways and Means
Committee. Committee Co-Chairman Rep. Eugune O'Flaherty has said a
debate on the bill by the full house is expected next
Wednesday.