(a)
The task force shall be appointed on or before October 1, 1997.
(b)
The task force shall meet and establish its operating procedures on or before September 1, 1998, and submit its plan for the entire review of court facilities by October 1, 1998, to the Judicial Council, Legislature, and Governor.
(c)
The task force shall review all available court facility standards and make preliminary determinations of acceptable standards for construction, renovation, and remodeling of court facilities, and shall report those preliminary determinations to the Judicial Council, the Legislature, and the Governor in an interim report on or before July 1, 1999.
(d)
The task force shall complete a survey of all trial and appellate court facilities in the state and report its findings to the Judicial Council, the Legislature, and the Governor in a second interim report on or before January 1, 2001. The report shall document all of the following:
(1)
The state of existing court facilities.
(2)
The need for new or modified court facilities.
(3)
The currently available funding options for constructing or renovating court facilities.
(4)
The impact which creating additional judgeships has upon court facility and other justice system facility needs.
(5)
The effects which trial court coordination and consolidation have upon court and justice system facilities needs.
(6)
Administrative and operational changes which can reduce or mitigate the need for added court or justice system facilities.
(7)
Recommendations for specific funding responsibilities among the entities of government including full state responsibility, full county responsibility, or shared responsibility.
(8)
A proposed transition plan if responsibility is to be changed.
(9)
Recommendations regarding funding sources for court facilities and funding mechanisms to support court facilities.
(e)
The interim reports shall be circulated for comment to the counties, the judiciary, the Legislature, and the Governor. The task force may also circulate these reports to users of the court facilities.
(f)
The task force shall submit a final report to the Judicial Council, the Legislature, and the Governor on or before July 1, 2001. The report shall include all elements of the interim reports incorporating any changes recommended by the task force in response to comments received.
(g)
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, during the period from July 1, 1997 to December 31, 2002, inclusive, the board of supervisors of each county shall be responsible for providing suitable and necessary facilities for judicial officers and court support staff for judicial positions created prior to July 1, 1996, to the extent required by Section 68073. The board of supervisors of each county shall also be responsible for providing suitable and necessary facilities for judicial officers and court support staff for judgeships authorized by statutes chaptered in 1996 to the extent required by Section 68073, provided that the board of supervisors agrees that new facilities are either not required or that the county is willing to provide funding for court facilities. Unless a court and a county otherwise mutually agree, the state shall assume responsibility for suitable and necessary facilities for judicial officers and support staff for any judgeships authorized during the period from January 1, 1998, to December 31, 2002, inclusive.