Sec. 4. (a) The office of judicial administration shall establish and administer an office of guardian ad litem and court appointed special advocate services. The office of judicial administration shall use money it receives from the state general fund to administer the office. If funds for guardian ad litem and court appointed special advocate programs are appropriated by the general assembly, the office of judicial administration shall provide matching funds to counties that implement and administer, in courts with juvenile jurisdiction, a guardian ad litem or court appointed special advocate program for children who are alleged to be victims of child abuse or neglect under IC 31-33. Matching funds must be distributed in accordance with the provisions of section 5 of this chapter. A county may use these matching funds to supplement amounts that are collected as fees under IC 31-40-3-1 and used for the operation of guardian ad litem and court appointed special advocate programs. The office of judicial administration may use its administrative fund to provide training services and communication services for local officials and local guardian ad litem and court appointed special advocate programs. The county fiscal body shall appropriate adequate funds for the county to be eligible for matching funds under this section.

(b) Matching funds provided to a county under this section shall be used for guardian ad litem and court appointed special advocate programs and may be deposited in the county's guardian ad litem or court appointed special advocate fund described in IC 31-40-3.

(c) Any matching funds appropriated to the office of judicial administration that are not used before July 1 of each fiscal year do not revert but shall be redistributed under this section on July 1. The office of judicial administration shall redistribute the funds among counties providing guardian ad litem and court appointed special advocate programs that are entitled to receive matching funds.

(d) Money appropriated to the office of judicial administration does not revert at the end of a state fiscal year to the state general fund.

(e) Only guardian ad litem or court appointed special advocate programs certified by the supreme court are eligible for funding under this section.

[Pre-2004 Recodification Citation: 33-2.1-7-3.1.]

As added by P.L.98-2004, SEC.3. Amended by P.L.129-2005, SEC.11; P.L.161-2018, SEC.61.