§996.50. Judicial Expense Fund for Twenty-sixth Judicial District; established; disbursements; additional fees for Webster Parish

A. In addition to all other fees or costs now or hereafter provided by law, the clerk of court of the Twenty-Sixth 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 the district, sitting en banc, which sum shall not exceed fifteen dollars, subject, however, to the provisions of Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, Article 5181 et seq.; and, in all criminal cases over which the Twenty-Sixth 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 clerk for further disposition in accordance herewith.

B. The clerk 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 Twenty-Sixth Judicial District Court. The judges, en banc, of the Twenty-Sixth 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 as they deem necessary to expedite the business and function of the court and fix and pay all or any part of the salaries or reasonable expenses of such 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 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 such purposes.

E. No salary shall be paid from the Judicial Expense Fund for the Twenty-Sixth Judicial District to any of the judges of the district, except as may be paid for administering the 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 for Webster Parish, there shall be taxed as costs against every defendant who is convicted of a crime after trial or after a plea of guilty or who forfeits bond in any such case, 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 any other law to the contrary, the fees required in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection shall not be deposited in the Judicial Expense Fund for the Twenty-sixth Judicial District Court, but shall be transmitted by the sheriff of Webster Parish to the Webster Parish Police Jury for expenditure by it in meeting the costs of housing, feeding, and maintaining parish prisoners.

(3) Notwithstanding any provision of this Section or any other law to the contrary, the Webster Parish Police Jury may expend all fees received pursuant to this Subsection only for any of the following purposes:

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

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

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

(d) For any expenses incurred in housing, feeding, detaining, transferring, or maintaining parish prisoners.

(4) The fees received by the police jury as provided in this Subsection shall be maintained by the police jury treasurer in a separate fund. The Webster Parish Police Jury may pay all expenses as authorized in Paragraph (3) of this Subsection as they accrue.

Acts 1987, No. 562, §1; Acts 1999, No. 99, §1, eff. July 1, 1999.