§10.3. Judges' Supplemental Compensation Fund; creation; sources of funds

A. The Judges' Supplemental Compensation Fund, hereinafter referred to as "the fund", is hereby created. The proceeds from the fund shall be used solely and exclusively for salary supplements to judges and commissioners, for related costs of state or municipal retirement funds, and for necessary and associated administrative expenses.

B.(1) The Judges' Supplemental Compensation Fund Board is hereby created. The members of the commission shall serve two-year terms, unless otherwise specified. A member may not serve more than two successive terms. The board shall be domiciled in Baton Rouge. The members shall serve without pay.

(2) The board shall be composed of five members to be selected as follows:

(a) The chief justice of the supreme court or his designee.

(b) One court of appeal judge selected by the Conference of Court of Appeal judges in a manner to be determined by that conference.

(c) Two district court judges selected by the Louisiana District Judges Association in a manner to be determined by that association, one of whom shall serve an initial term expiring December 31, 1986.

(d) One member of the Louisiana City Judges Association selected by that association in a manner to be determined by it.

(3) The judicial administrator of the supreme court shall be responsible for the distribution of the proceeds of the fund. He shall keep detailed and accurate records to be examined by the legislative fiscal office annually.

C. In addition to any other filing fee imposed by law, a nonrefundable fee of ten dollars for every civil filing in the office of each clerk of city, parish, juvenile, family, district, appellate, and supreme court is hereby levied. Each clerk of court shall remit all costs so collected to the state treasurer monthly on or before the tenth day of each calendar month to be credited to the Judges' Supplemental Compensation Fund, after meeting the requirements of Article VII, Section 9 of the Constitution of Louisiana. The disbursement of the proceeds from the fund may be authorized only by a majority of the members of the board and shall be made on the warrant of the judicial administrator of the supreme court drawn on the state treasury.

D. After making provisions for necessary and associated administrative expenses, the board shall authorize the judicial administrator to set aside and transmit monthly an amount to provide the additional employer's retirement contribution due by the state on the supplemental compensation to the State Employees' Retirement System on behalf of the judges who are members of the system. The board, through the judicial administrator, shall then distribute the proceeds from the fund monthly, as follows:

(1) Justices of the supreme court, appellate court judges, and district, family, and juvenile court judges, including the magistrate of the criminal district court for Orleans Parish, shall receive equal supplemental compensation.

(2) City, traffic, municipal, and parish court judges and commissioners shall receive supplemental compensation in the proportion that their current state-paid salary bears to the current state-paid salary of a district judge.

E. The additional filing fee of ten dollars shall be considered the base additional fee for purposes of this Subsection. Beginning in July, 1986, the base fee shall be increased an amount equal to the percent of increase in the average consumer price index (all items-city average) as published by the United States Department of Labor, bureau of labor statistics, between the figures for the calendar years 1984 and 1985. The amount of increase so calculated shall be rounded off to the nearest half-dollar. Each succeeding July, a similar adjustment shall be made to the base fee, as adjusted, based upon the percent of change to the nearest half-dollar in the average consumer price index between the two complete calendar years preceding July of the year in which the adjustment is made. Under no circumstances shall the base fee or any escalation thereof, pursuant to the provisions of this Paragraph, be reduced.

F. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to require a filing fee of the state or a state agency.

Acts 1985, No. 63, §1.