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RESOLUTION NO. 2004- 031_ <br />A RESOLUTION OF THE INDIAN RIVER COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS; <br />REQUESTING SUPPORT FROM INDIVIDUALS, <br />GROUPS AND THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE FOR <br />ADEQUATE LAW LIBRARY FUNDING; AND <br />PROVIDING MEANS FOR IMPLEMENTATION. <br />WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of Indian River County <br />Florida has made the following determinations: <br />1. Public law libraries provide legal information necessary for effective <br />functioning of the justice system and provide legal information to judicial <br />officers and their support staff; government attorneys, attorneys in private <br />practice, corporate attorneys, and the general public, rich and poor alike. <br />2. Internet technology is no substitute for adequately funded law libraries <br />inasmuch as there are large amounts of legal information available only in <br />print, microfilm or commercial data bases and, public law libraries remain <br />the best source for older case law, annotated statutes (current and <br />superseded), continuing legal education seminar materials, older legal <br />periodicals, current texts and treatises. <br />3. Public law libraries not only provide access to legal information, but also to <br />research assistance, training and other value-added services. <br />4. By providing ready access to legal information, public law libraries play a <br />fundamental role in preserving access to justice and in promoting, through <br />knowledge, trust and confidence in the justice system. <br />5. In July, 2003, the Miami -Dade County Law Library, at the request of the <br />Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, surveyed all county law <br />libraries within the State on their sources of funding and such found that <br />twenty-two (22) out of twenty-three (23) responding libraries are funded in <br />whole or part by service fees surcharged on case filing fees. <br />6. Such funding through service fees was, and is currently, authorized by <br />Florida Statutes section 28.2401(3). <br />7. The 2003 legislature adopted House Bill 0113A, Laws of Florida, Chapter <br />2003-402, to take effect in relevant part on July 1, 2004, so as to <br />implement an initiative amendment to Article V of the Florida Constitution, <br />wherein such legislation does not provide for county law libraries as an <br />1 <br />F:\Attorney\Lea\docs\reso\law library bcc legislative funding.doc <br />