§2562.22. Judicial expense fund; traffic case management and accident reporting system

            A. In all criminal cases over which the First and Second Parish Courts of Jefferson Parish have jurisdiction, there shall be taxed as costs against every defendant who is convicted after trial or after plea of guilty or who forfeits his bond, a sum likewise determined but which shall not exceed fifteen 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. All sums collected or received under this Section shall be placed respectively in one of two separate accounts designated as the Judicial Expense Fund for the First Parish Court of Jefferson Parish and the Judicial Expense Fund for the Second Parish Court of Jefferson Parish. All sums shall be placed in the judicial expense fund associated with the court in which the case was pending or adjudicated according to each court's jurisdiction. The judges, en banc, of each separate parish court shall have control over the funds associated with their jurisdiction and all disbursements made therefrom. The judges shall cause to be conducted annually an audit of the funds and the books and accounts relating thereto, and shall file the same with the office of the legislative auditor where the audits shall be available for public inspection.

            C. The judges, en banc, of each separate parish court shall determine how the judicial expense funds are administered and maintained within their jurisdiction, and where the judicial expense funds are kept including but not limited to authorizing by cooperative endeavor agreement or otherwise the Finance Department of the Parish of Jefferson to administer and maintain the judicial expense funds in an account with other parish funds. No firm, corporation, association, political subdivision and officers, or other entity, public or private, is authorized to access, disburse, invest the monies in either fund, or to use the monies in either fund as security, unless expressly authorized by the judges, acting en banc, of each separate parish court.

            D. The judges, en banc, of each separate parish court may, in addition to salaries otherwise provided, authorized, or established by law, fix and pay each of their court reporters a salary from the judicial expense funds. The judges, en banc, of each separate parish court may appoint such secretarial, clerical, research, administrative, or other personnel as they deem necessary to expedite the business and functions of the courts, and fix and pay all or any part of the salaries of such personnel out of the monies in the judicial expense funds. In like manner, the judges, en banc, of each separate parish court may utilize the monies in the judicial expense funds within their respective jurisdiction to pay all or any part of the cost of establishing and/or maintaining a law library for the court, or implementing and operating a traffic case management and accident reporting system, or for buying and/or maintaining any type of equipment, supplies, or other items consistent with or germane to the efficient operation of the court. In general, the judicial expense funds are established and may be used for any purpose or purposes connected with, incidental to, or related to the proper administration or function of each court or the offices of the individual judges; and, is in addition to any and all other funds, salaries, expenses, and 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 funds for the parish courts to any of the judges of the courts except as may be paid for administering the said funds, and then only after prior legislative approval.

            Added by Acts 1982, No. 340, §1, eff. July 18, 1982; Acts 2019, No. 29, §1, eff. May 30, 2019.