The clerk must collect certain court-cost sums in civil and criminal cases, put the money into a separate judicial expense fund, and the judges may use and manage that fund, with limits on paying judges' salaries from it.
§996.65. Judicial Expense Fund for Forty-Second Judicial District A. In addition to all other fees or costs now or hereafter provided by law, the clerk of court of the Forty-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 the district, sitting en banc, which sum shall not exceed fifteen dollars, subject to the provisions of Code of Civil Procedure Article 5181 et seq. In all criminal cases over which the Forty-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 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 Forty-Second Judicial District Court. The judges, en banc, of the Forty-Second Judicial District shall have control over the fund and all disbursements made therefrom. They shall cause to be conducted annually an audit of the fund and the books and accounts relating thereto in accordance with R.S. 24:513 et seq. 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, of the Forty-Second Judicial District Court, in addition to salaries otherwise provided, authorized, or established by law, may fix and pay each of their court reporters a salary from the judicial expense fund. The judges, en banc, may appoint such secretarial, clerical, research, administrative, or other personnel as they deem necessary to expedite the business and functions of the court and fix and pay all or any part of the salaries of such personnel out of the monies in the judicial expense fund. In like manner, the judges, en banc, may expend the monies in the judicial expense fund to pay all or any part of the cost of establishing and maintaining a law library for the court or for buying and 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 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 purpose. D. No salary shall be paid from the judicial expense fund for the Forty-Second Judicial District to any judge of the Forty-Second Judicial District, except as may be paid for administering the fund and then only after prior legislative approval. Acts 2007, No. 416, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2009.