Mo. Rev. Stat. § 595.045 — MO Code / Chapter 595 / Section 595.045
595.045 Fund established — surcharge for certain violations, distribution of funds, ...
Status: in_force

595.045. Fund established — surcharge for certain violations, distribution of funds, audit — failure to pay, effect, notice — court cost deducted — insufficient funds to pay claims, procedure — interest earned, disposition. — 1. There is established in the state treasury the "Crime Victims' Compensation Fund". A surcharge of seven dollars and fifty cents shall be assessed as costs in each court proceeding filed in any court in the state in all criminal cases including violations of any county ordinance or any violation of criminal or traffic laws of the state, including an infraction and violation of a municipal ordinance; except that no such fee shall be collected in any proceeding in any court when the proceeding or the defendant has been dismissed by the court or when costs are to be paid by the state, county, or municipality. A surcharge of seven dollars and fifty cents shall be assessed as costs in a juvenile court proceeding in which a child is found by the court to come within the applicable provisions of subdivision (3) of subsection 1 of section 211.031 .

2. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the moneys collected by clerks of the courts pursuant to the provisions of subsection 1 of this section shall be collected and disbursed in accordance with sections 488.010 to 488.020 and shall be payable to the director of the department of revenue.

3. The director of revenue shall deposit annually the amount of two hundred fifty thousand dollars to the state forensic laboratory account administered by the department of public safety to provide financial assistance to defray expenses of crime laboratories if such analytical laboratories are registered with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency or the Missouri department of health and senior services. Subject to appropriations made therefor, such funds shall be distributed by the department of public safety to the crime laboratories serving the courts of this state making analysis of a controlled substance or analysis of blood, breath or urine in relation to a court proceeding.

4. The remaining funds collected under subsection 1 of this section shall be denoted to the payment of an annual appropriation for the administrative and operational costs of the office for victims of crime and, if a statewide automated crime victim notification system is established pursuant to section 650.310 , to the monthly payment of expenditures actually incurred in the operation of such system. Additional remaining funds shall be subject to the following provisions:

(1) On the first of every month, the director of revenue or the director's designee shall determine the balance of the funds in the crime victims' compensation fund available to satisfy the amount of compensation payable pursuant to sections 595.010 to 595.075 , excluding sections 595.050 and 595.055 ;

(2) Beginning on September 1, 2004, and on the first of each month, the director of revenue or the director's designee shall deposit fifty percent of the balance of funds available to the credit of the crime victims' compensation fund and fifty percent to the services to victims' fund established in section 595.100 .

5. The director of revenue or such director's designee shall at least monthly report the moneys paid pursuant to this section into the crime victims' compensation fund and the services to victims fund to the department of public safety.

6. The moneys collected by clerks of municipal courts pursuant to subsection 1 of this section shall be collected and disbursed as provided by sections 488.010 to 488.020 . Five percent of such moneys shall be payable to the city treasury of the city from which such funds were collected. The remaining ninety-five percent of such moneys shall be payable to the director of revenue. The funds received by the director of revenue pursuant to this subsection shall be distributed as follows:

(1) On the first of every month, the director of revenue or the director's designee shall determine the balance of the funds in the crime victims' compensation fund available to satisfy the amount of compensation payable pursuant to sections 595.010 to 595.075 , excluding sections 595.050 and 595.055 ;

(2) Beginning on September 1, 2004, and on the first of each month the director of revenue or the director's designee shall deposit fifty percent of the balance of funds available to the credit of the crime victims' compensation fund and fifty percent to the services to victims' fund established in section 595.100 .

7. These funds shall be subject to a biennial audit by the Missouri state auditor. Such audit shall include all records associated with crime victims' compensation funds collected, held or disbursed by any state agency.

8. In addition to the moneys collected pursuant to subsection 1 of this section, the court shall enter a judgment in favor of the state of Missouri, payable to the crime victims' compensation fund, of sixty-eight dollars upon a plea of guilty or a finding of guilt for a class A or B felony; forty-six dollars upon a plea of guilty or finding of guilt for a class C, D, or E felony; and ten dollars upon a plea of guilty or a finding of guilt for any misdemeanor under Missouri law except for those in chapter 252 relating to fish and game, chapter 302 relating to drivers' and commercial drivers' license, chapter 303 relating to motor vehicle financial responsibility, chapter 304 relating to traffic regulations, chapter 306 relating to watercraft regulation and licensing, and chapter 307 relating to vehicle equipment regulations. Any clerk of the court receiving moneys pursuant to such judgments shall collect and disburse such crime victims' compensation judgments in the manner provided by sections 488.010 to 488.020 . Such funds shall be payable to the state treasury and deposited to the credit of the crime victims' compensation fund.

9. The clerk of the court processing such funds shall maintain records of all dispositions described in subsection 1 of this section and all dispositions where a judgment has been entered against a defendant in favor of the state of Missouri in accordance with this section; all payments made on judgments for alcohol-related traffic offenses; and any judgment or portion of a judgment entered but not collected. These records shall be subject to audit by the state auditor. The clerk of each court transmitting such funds shall report separately the amount of dollars collected on judgments entered for alcohol-related traffic offenses from other crime victims' compensation collections or services to victims collections.

10. The department of revenue shall maintain records of funds transmitted to the crime victims' compensation fund by each reporting court and collections pursuant to subsection 16 of this section and shall maintain separate records of collection for alcohol-related offenses.

11. The state courts administrator shall include in the annual report required by section 476.350 the circuit court caseloads and the number of crime victims' compensation judgments entered.

12. All awards made to injured victims under sections 595.010 to 595.105 and all appropriations for administration of sections 595.010 to 595.105 , except sections 595.050 and 595.055 , shall be made from the crime victims' compensation fund. Any unexpended balance remaining in the crime victims' compensation fund at the end of each biennium shall not be subject to the provision of section 33.080 requiring the transfer of such unexpended balance to the ordinary revenue fund of the state, but shall remain in the crime victims' compensation fund. In the event that there are insufficient funds in the crime victims' compensation fund to pay all claims in full, all claims shall be paid on a pro rata basis. If there are no funds in the crime victims' compensation fund, then no claim shall be paid until funds have again accumulated in the crime victims' compensation fund. When sufficient funds become available from the fund, awards which have not been paid shall be paid in chronological order with the oldest paid first. In the event an award was to be paid in installments and some remaining installments have not been paid due to a lack of funds, then when funds do become available that award shall be paid in full. All such awards on which installments remain due shall be paid in full in chronological order before any other postdated award shall be paid. Any award pursuant to this subsection is specifically not a claim against the state, if it cannot be paid due to a lack of funds in the crime victims' compensation fund.

13. When judgment is entered against a defendant as provided in this section and such sum, or any part thereof, remains unpaid, there shall be withheld from any disbursement, payment, benefit, compensation, salary, or other transfer of money from the state of Missouri to such defendant an amount equal to the unpaid amount of such judgment. Such amount shall be paid forthwith to the crime victims' compensation fund and satisfaction of such judgment shall be entered on the court record. Under no circumstances shall the general revenue fund be used to reimburse court costs or pay for such judgment. The director of the department of corrections shall have the authority to pay into the crime victims' compensation fund from an offender's compensation or account the amount owed by the offender to the crime victims' compensation fund, provided that the offender has failed to pay the amount owed to the fund prior to entering a correctional facility of the department of corrections.

14. All interest earned as a result of investing funds in the crime victims' compensation fund shall be paid into the crime victims' compensation fund and not into the general revenue of this state.

15. Any person who knowingly makes a fraudulent claim or false statement in connection with any claim hereunder is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

16. The department may receive gifts and contributions for the benefit of crime victims. Such gifts and contributions shall be credited to the crime victims' compensation fund as used solely for compensating victims under the provisions of sections 595.010 to 595.075 .

(L. 1981 H.B. 41, et al. § 8, A.L. 1982 S.B. 497, A.L. 1984 H.B. 1226, A.L. 1985 H.B. 715, A.L. 1986 H.B. 1554 Revision, A.L. 1988 H.B. 1195, A.L. 1989 S.B. 364 merged with S.B. 138, A.L. 1990 H.B. 974, A.L. 1992 S.B. 638, A.L. 1993 S.B. 19, A.L. 1996 S.B. 769 repealed by L. 1997 S.B. 248, A.L. 1996 S.B. 869, A.L. 2001 S.B. 267, A.L. 2004 H.B. 1188 merged with S.B. 1211, A.L. 2009 S.B. 338, A.L. 2025 S.B. 43) CROSS REFERENCES: Crime laboratory assistance program, 650.100 , 650.105 Multinational banks, securities and obligations of, investment in, when, 409.950