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PA Bulletin, Doc. No. 19-1173

THE COURTS

Title 201—RULES OF
JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

[ 201 PA. CODE CH. 40 ]

Proposed Amendments to the Uniform Rules Governing Court Reporting and Transcripts

[49 Pa.B. 4002]
[Saturday, August 3, 2019]

 The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts is considering recommending to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania the adoption of amendments to the Uniform Rules Governing Court Reporting and Transcripts eliminating the Committee on Court Reporting and Transcripts and providing for a minimum 30-day public comment period for any proposed transcript rate increase in a judicial district.

 The proposed deletion of Rule of Judicial Administration 4003 and amendment of Rule of Judicial Administration 4008 will help to streamline the process and provide more transparency when a judicial district seeks to increase its transcript rates. The deletion of Rule 4003 is proposed given the lack of activity by the Committee for the past several years. The proposed amendment to Rule of Judicial Administration 4008 will require a judicial district that seeks to increase its transcript rates to solicit feedback for at least 30 days prior to submitting its proposal to the Court Administrator for review. The Administrative Office will serve as the entity proposing any changes to the Uniform Rules Governing Court Reporting and Transcripts, as it does generally with the Rules of Judicial Administration, along with public notice and opportunity for comment.

 Proposed new material is underlined and in bold-face type, and deleted material is bracketed and in bold-face type.

 All interested persons are invited to submit suggestions, comments, or objections. All communications in reference to this proposal should be submitted no later than September 3, 2019 to:

Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts
ATTN: Judicial Operations & Programs
601 Commonwealth Avenue
P.O. Box 61260
Harrisburg, PA 17106
Judicial.DistrictOperationsDept@pacourts.us

THOMAS B. DARR, 
Court Administrator of Pennsylvania

Annex A

TITLE 201. RULES OF JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

CHAPTER 40. UNIFORM RULES GOVERNING COURT REPORTING AND TRANSCRIPTS

Rule 4003. [Committee on Court Reporting and Transcripts] Rescinded by Supreme Court Order dated       .

 [(A) The Committee on Court Reporting and Transcripts shall consist of the following members appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, one of whom shall be designated as Chair and one of whom shall be designated as Vice-Chair:

 (1) One representative of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania;

 (2) One representative of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania;

 (3) Two president judges of the courts of common pleas chosen from among the judicial districts of the Commonwealth;

 (4) Two members of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania;

 (5) The district court administrator of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas;

 (6) The district court administrator of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas;

 (7) Two district court administrators chosen from among the judicial districts of the Commonwealth other than Philadelphia and Allegheny;

 (8) Two providers of court reporting services representing the various methods currently in usage within Pennsylvania; and

 (9) Two members of the Pennsylvania Bar.

 (B) Initial appointments shall be for one-, two- or three-year terms, and these members may serve one additional three-year term. Thereafter appointments shall be for three years and members shall serve no more than two consecutive three-year terms. A replacement appointee shall serve for the balance of the unexpired term.

 (C) The Committee shall review current rules and practices, and, upon concurrence of the Court Administrator, recommend revisions to the Uniform Rules Governing Court Reporting and Transcripts as may be necessary to effectuate the policy of these rules.

 (D) The Administrative Office shall provide staff support to the Committee.]

Rule 4008. Transcript Costs Payable by a Requesting Party Other Than the Commonwealth or a Subdivision Thereof.

*  *  *  *  *

 (F) Requests for Rate Increases

 The president judge of a judicial district may request an increase in the rates prescribed in subdivision (A) or (D) by submitting a written request to the [Committee on Court Reporting and Transcripts] Court Administrator. Prior to submission, notice of the proposed increase shall be published for public comment for at least thirty days. Any comments received must be forwarded to the Court Administrator with the request. The request shall only be approved where it is established that the judicial district faces an economic hardship caused by the current rates and that the requested rates are reasonable. [If the Committee approves the request by majority vote, it shall be forwarded to the Court Administrator for review.] If the Court Administrator determines that the increase is necessary, the request shall be forwarded to the Supreme Court.

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 19-1173. Filed for public inspection August 2, 2019, 9:00 a.m.]


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