§996.49. Judicial Expense Fund for Second Judicial District; established; disbursements; additional fees Claiborne Parish

A. In addition to all other fees or costs now or hereafter provided by law, each clerk of court of the Second Judicial District shall collect from every person filing any type of civil suit or proceeding and who is not otherwise exempted by law from the payment of court costs, a sum to be determined by the judges of said district, sitting en banc, which sum shall not exceed fifteen dollars, subject, however, to the provisions of Code of Civil Procedure Art. 5181, et seq. In all criminal cases over which the Second Judicial District Court has jurisdiction, there shall be taxed as costs against every defendant who is convicted after trial or after plea of guilty or nolo contendere or who forfeits his bond, a sum likewise determined, but which shall not exceed ten dollars, which shall be in addition to all other fines, costs, or forfeitures lawfully imposed and which shall be transmitted to the said clerk for further disposition in accordance herewith.

B. The clerks of court shall place all sums collected or received under this Section in a separate account to be designated as the Judicial Expense Fund for the Second Judicial District Court. The judges, en banc, of the Second Judicial District shall have control over and administer the funds and all disbursements made therefrom. They shall cause to be conducted annually an audit of the fund and the books and accounts relating thereto, and shall file the same with the office of the legislative auditor where it shall be available for public inspection.

C. The judges, en banc, may appoint such law clerks, clerical, research, administrative, or other personnel, out of the monies in the Judicial Expense Fund. In like manner, the judges, en banc, may utilize the monies in the Judicial Expense Fund to pay all or any part of the cost of establishing or maintaining a law library, or both, for the court, or for buying or maintaining, or both, any type of equipment, supplies, or other items consistent with or germane to the efficient operation of the court, or to pay for actual expenses incurred, including travel, hotel, tuition, and fees, by any judge or clerk in attending any seminar or conference germane to the proper operation of the court.

D. In general, the Judicial Expense Fund is established and may be used for any purpose or purposes connected with, incidental to, or related to the proper administration or function of the said court or the offices of the individual judges and is in addition to any and all other funds, salaries, expenses, or other monies that are now or hereafter provided, authorized, or established by law for any of the aforesaid purposes.

E. No salary shall be paid from the Judicial Expense Fund for the Second Judicial District to any of the judges of the Second Judicial District except as may be paid for administering the said fund and then only after prior legislative approval.

F.(1) In addition to all other fees or costs now or hereafter provided by law, in all criminal cases in the district court of Claiborne Parish, there shall be taxed as costs against every defendant who is convicted after trial, by a guilty plea, or by forfeiture of bond, of a crime or traffic offense, a fee of ten dollars. Such fee shall be in addition to all other fines, costs, or forfeitures lawfully imposed.

(2) Notwithstanding any provision of this Section or other law to the contrary, the fees required in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection shall be transmitted by the sheriff of Claiborne Parish to the Claiborne Parish governing authority for expenditure by it in meeting the costs of housing, feeding, and maintaining juveniles against whom a petition of delinquency has been filed but who have not yet been adjudicated delinquent or formally sentenced.

(3) The fees required in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection shall be maintained by the police jury secretary in a separate fund. The Claiborne Parish police jury may pay all appropriate expenses as they accrue. Thirty days after the end of the preceding fiscal year, after all expenses have been paid, all funds in the account in excess of ten thousand dollars shall be transmitted by the secretary of the Claiborne Parish Police Jury, upon the written authority of the police jury, to the district attorney for the Second Judicial District for the use of the district attorney in funding the operations of his office.

(4) Notwithstanding any provision of this Section or any other law to the contrary, the Claiborne Parish Police Jury may expend all fees required in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection as follows:

(a) For the purpose of participating in the costs of or for the purpose of constructing or maintaining juvenile detention facilities, novice houses, facilities for pretrial or post-trial detainees, or any similar facility.

(b) For the use as matching funds for any state or federal monies available to the police jury for the purpose of housing, feeding, or maintaining juveniles.

(c) For the payment of services to out-of-parish facilities for pretrial or post-trial detainees.

(d) For any and all costs of rehabilitation of juveniles including but not limited to counseling or diversification programs.

(e) For any expenses incurred in housing, feeding, detaining, transferring, or maintaining juveniles.

Acts 1987, No. 191, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1063, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.