Judicial Branch Financial Accountability Act of 2004

Judicial Branch Financial Accountability Act of 2004 - Requires the Federal Judiciary annually to have financial statements prepared and independently audited covering judicial branch activities.

Directs the Judicial Conference of the United States to determine whether to have separate financial statements for specified components of the Federal Judiciary.

Requires the Administrative Office of the United States Courts to prepare the financial statements required by this Act and to have such statements independently audited.

Requires the Judicial Conference to submit an implementation plan and recommendations to the Senate Judiciary and Governmental Affairs Committees and the House Judiciary and Government Reform Committees.

[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2757 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

  2d Session
                                 S. 2757

To provide for certain financial reporting requirements to apply to the 
   judicial branch of the Federal Government, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 22, 2004

Mr. Fitzgerald introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for certain financial reporting requirements to apply to the 
   judicial branch of the Federal Government, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Judicial Branch Financial 
Accountability Act of 2004''.

SEC. 2. FEDERAL JUDICIARY.

    (a) In General.--The Federal Judiciary shall annually have 
independently audited financial statements prepared for fiscal year 
2005, and each fiscal year thereafter, covering all the accounts and 
associated activities of the judicial branch.
    (b) Separate Statements.--The Judicial Conference of the United 
States shall determine whether to have separate financial statements 
for the--
            (1) Supreme Court of the United States;
            (2) United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit;
            (3) United States Court of International Trade;
            (4) Administrative Office of the United States Courts;
            (5) Federal Judicial Center;
            (6) Judicial retirement funds;
            (7) United States Sentencing Commission; or
            (8) other courts or services paid from the appropriations 
        for ``Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other Judicial 
        Services''.

SEC. 3. PREPARATION AND AUDIT OF STATEMENTS.

    (a) Preparation.--The Administrative Office of the United States 
Courts shall prepare the financial statements required by this Act in 
accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles.
    (b) Audit.--
            (1) In general.--The Judicial Conference of the United 
        States shall provide, by contract, for an independent auditor 
        to audit the financial statements required by this Act in 
        accordance with generally accepted government auditing 
        standards.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 45 days after the end of the 
        defined fiscal year, whether calendar or fiscal, and each year 
        thereafter, the Administrative Office of the United States 
        Courts shall complete and submit an independently audited 
        financial statement that shall be--
                    (A) available to the public; and
                    (B) submitted to--
                            (i) the Committee on the Judiciary of the 
                        Senate and the Committee on Governmental 
                        Affairs of the Senate; and
                            (ii) the Committee on the Judiciary of the 
                        House of Representatives and the Committee on 
                        Government Reform of the House of 
                        Representatives.

SEC. 4. REPORT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, a report described under subsection (b) shall be submitted 
by the Judicial Conference to--
            (1) the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the 
        Committee on Governmental Affairs of the Senate; and
            (2) the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Government Reform of the 
        House of Representatives.
    (b) Content.--The report under subsection (a) shall include--
            (1) a plan for implementation of this Act; and
            (2) recommendations, including legislative actions and 
        amendments to this Act, if necessary, to effectively carry out 
        this Act.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this Act in fiscal year 2005, and each fiscal 
year thereafter.
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