S. 2396: Federal Courts Improvement Act of 2004

108th Congress · introduced 2004-05-10 · Law · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5080-5084)

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Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2004-05-10 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5080-5084) Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Federal Courts Improvement Act of 2004

Plain summary

Federal Courts Improvement Act of 2004 - Sets forth or amends various judicial, criminal, and bankruptcy code provisions to address the Federal judicial process, including: (1) bankruptcy administrator authority to appoint and serve as bankruptcy trustees; (2) places of holding court in, and changes in the composition of, specified districts; (3) jury matters; (4) conditions of probation and supervised release; (5) the scope of diversity citizenship for resident aliens and corporations with foreign contacts; (6) wiretap order reporting requirements; (7) emergency authority to conduct court proceedings outside a court's territorial jurisdiction; and (8) certain privacy concerns in bankruptcy cases. Amends various Federal judicial code, Higher Education Act, Organic Act of Guam, Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands, civil service, and other provisions to address Federal judicial personnel matters, including: (1) annuities for territorial judges; (2) compensation for Federal Judicial Center employees; (3) annual leave limits for judicial branch executives; (4) supplemental benefits for judicial branch employees; (5) student loan forgiveness for Federal defenders and student loan deferment for law clerks; (6) inclusion of judicial branch personnel in the organ donor leave program; (7) transportation and subsistence expenses for Criminal Justice Act defendants; (8) compensation in excess of the statutory maximum for defense counsel and for services other than counsel; (9) judicial branch security requirements; (10) life insurance for bankruptcy, magistrate, and territorial judges; and (11) health insurance for surviving family and spouses of judges. Prohibits knowingly recording fictitious liens against the property of Federal judges.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Federal Courts Improvement Act of 2004

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT] · 5 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Jurisdiction: The area or the matters a government or court has authority over.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.
Statute: A written law passed by a legislature. A statute can be changed by a later law; changing a constitution needs an amendment.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-108s2396.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/108/s>

Record fed-us-cong108-s2396 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong108 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong108