SACRAMENTO — The judiciary has "substantially complied" with the mandates of the 16-year-old Trial Court Funding Act, according to a 250-page report issued Thursday by a committee appointed by the governor and chief justice.

But equality in trial court funding is still "in need of improvement," the Trial Court Funding Workgroup concluded, effectively laying the groundwork for passage next week of a controversial plan to revise how money is divvied up by the courts.