§2563.17. Fees; Judicial Expense Fund; Probation Fund; established

             A. In all criminal cases over which the court has jurisdiction, there shall be taxed as costs against every defendant who is convicted after trial or after a plea of guilty or who forfeits his bond, a sum determined by the judge of the parish court, which sum shall not exceed fifteen dollars, which shall be in addition to all other fines, costs or forfeitures lawfully imposed and which shall be transmitted on a monthly basis to the chief financial officer of Ascension Parish, hereinafter referred to as "chief financial officer", for deposit into the Judicial Expense Fund. Any bench warrant fees collected by the court from a defendant shall also be transmitted to the chief financial officer for deposit into the Judicial Expense Fund.

            B. The chief financial officer shall place all sums collected or received under Subsection A of this Section in a separate account to be designated as the Judicial Expense Fund for the Parish Court for the Parish of Ascension. The governing authority of Ascension Parish shall have control over the fund and all disbursements made therefrom, shall cause to be conducted annually an audit of the fund and the books and accounts relating thereto, and shall file the audit with the office of the legislative auditor where it shall be available for public inspection.

            C. 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 judge, 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. However, no salary shall be paid from the judicial expense fund to the judge, except the judge appointed temporarily under the provisions of R.S. 13:2563.9 and as provided in R.S. 13:2563.5(B)(4) and (C).

            D. In all criminal cases over which the court has jurisdiction and is authorized to collect a probation fee pursuant to Code of Criminal Procedure Article 895.1(C), said sums shall be transmitted to the clerk of court and placed in a separate account designated as the Parish Court Probation Fee Fund. The judge of the parish court shall have control over the fund and all disbursements made therefrom. He 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. The fund created under this Subsection 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 judge, 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.

            Added by Acts 1976, No. 307, §1, eff. Jan. 3, 1977. Acts 1992, No. 940, §1; Acts 2001, No. 316, §1, eff. June 6, 2001; Acts 2008, No. 523, §1, eff. June 30, 2008; Acts 2016, No. 612, §1, eff. June 17, 2016.