The act modifies the number of judges to serve in each district of the Court of Appeals, in order to reflect the current total number authorized by statute (477.160,477.170, 477.180, 477.181, 477.190, 477.191).

These provisions are identical to SB 614 (2014), and to provisions contained in the truly agreed to and finally passed version of HB 1231 (2014).

This act repeals provisions of law which state that when a judicial weighted workload indicates for three consecutive years that a judicial circuit with a population of one-hundred thousand or more is in need of four or more full-time judicial positions, then there shall be one additional associate circuit judge position in such circuit(Section 478.320).

Currently, the twenty-first judicial circuit has nineteen circuit judges. The act provides that the twenty-first circuit shall have twenty circuit judges which shall sit in twenty divisions. The twenty-first circuit shall also have an additional associate circuit judge which shall be in addition to the associate circuit judges provided for under the current statutory formula (478.437).

Currently, the sixteenth judicial circuit has nine associate circuit judges with five of the judges located in Kansas City and four of the judges located in Independence. The act states that the sixteenth judicial circuit shall have ten associate circuit judges, which shall sit in divisions numbered 25 through 34. The 34th division shall sit in a location determined by the court en banc. This tenth associate circuit judge position shall not be included in the statutory formula for authorizing additional associate circuit judgeships under current law (478.464).

The act provides the thirty-first judicial circuit with an additional associate circuit judge, and specifies that the additional associate circuit judges, including one awarded under the current statutory formula, awarded in fiscal years 2014 and 2015 shall not be included in the statutory formula for authorizing additional associate circuit judgeships under current law (478.513).

The act states that in the eleventh judicial circuit there shall be an additional associate circuit judge position. This position shall be elected in 2016, and shall not be considered vacant until January 1, 2017, and shall not be included in the statutory formula for authorizing additional associate circuit judgeships under current law (478.600).

The thirty-eighth circuit shall have two circuit judges. The circuit judge in division two shall be elected in 2016, and such position shall not be considered vacant until January 1, 2017. The judge in division one shall be elected in 2018 (478.740).

These provisions are substantially similar to provisions contained in the truly agreed to and finally passed versions of SB 615 (2014), SB 621 (2014), and HB 1231 (2014).

The act reinstitutes the thirteenth judicial circuit's authority to appoint a drug court commissioner (478.610).

This provision is identical to provisions in HCS/HB 1448 (2014) and the truly agreed to and finally passed version of SB 621 (2014) and HB 1231 (2014).

JESSICA BAKER