Good morning and thank you, Chair Gregoire, Chair Collins, and members of the Committee for hearing testimony today on House Bill 4499: An Act to improve and modernize the information technology systems and capacities of the judiciary. And thank-you to the bill's lead sponsors -- House Judiciary Chair Mike Day and former Representative Sheila Harrington -- and to the members of the Judiciary Committee and Representative Lindsay Sabadosa of this Committee, for supporting this legislation, which is so important to our court system and to improving access to justice in this Commonwealth
Detailed testimony on this bill will be provided by our Court Administrator John Bello and the Judiciary’s Chief Information Officer Steven Duncan. I simply wish to convey the strong support of the Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court and all court leaders for this legislation. The improvements it would allow will change how judges and courts do their work for years to come.
The past two years have demonstrated the critical importance of equipping the courts with up-to-date information technology systems. Our experience during the pandemic proved how essential new technology can be to delivering court services to the public. And our experience also showed that some of the changes we made in response to the pandemic represent improvements that should continue, even when the pandemic is behind us. But to maintain and build on these advances in the delivery of court services, we will need a major investment in our systems, security and infrastructure.
House Bill 4499 will transform and modernize our courts and improve the experience for all who use and work in them. On behalf of the Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court and all court leaders, I urge the Legislature to act quickly on this bill to allow the courts to capitalize on the momentum developed during the pandemic.
Thank you.
| Date published: | March 29, 2022 |
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| Last updated: | December 10, 2025 |