Source: https://judicial.state.sc.us/whatsnew/displaywhatsnew.cfm?indexID=2308
Timestamp: 2020-06-07 09:09:40
Document Index: 156728078

Matched Legal Cases: ['§14', '§4', '§5', '§4', '§5', '§14', '§ 14']

This past legislative term there was legislation passed regarding the collection, distribution and reporting of court generated revenues. There were several temporary provisos that have been repeated in previous General Appropriations Acts and are repeated again in the 2018 - 2019 General Appropriations Act. There was also legislation passed last year which affected the preparation and submission of the independent external audits required annually by County and Municipal Treasurers. However, there was no legislation passed that will have an effect on the amounts of actual surcharges and assessments imposed in the courts of this State.
The 2018-2019 General Appropriations Act was ratified by the General Assembly on June 29, 2018, and the Governor has until midnight on Thursday, July 5, 2018 to utilize his veto authority. However, it is unlikely that the provisos provided below would be affected by that process.
The entire fees and assessments memorandum for fiscal year 2018 - 2019 will be posted on the Judicial Department website at www.sccourts.org under “Court News.”
1. Effective July 1, 2018, Act No. 96 of 2017 created the South Carolina Crime Victims Services Division of the South Carolina Attorney General's office. Part II of the Act amended S. C. Code §§14-1-206 (E) and (I), 14-1-207 (E) and (I), and 14-1 208 (E) and (I), relating to fees and fines collected by circuit court, magistrate court, and municipal court, respectively, so as to require the South Carolina Crime Victim Services Division to create a Uniform Supplemental Schedule Form detailing all fines and assessments collected by those clerks of court, the amount remitted to the county or municipal treasurer, and the amount remitted to the State Treasurer. The form shall be included in the annual independent external audit required to be performed for each county pursuant to S. C. Code §4-9-150, and for each municipality pursuant to S. C. Code §5-7-240.
Within 30 days of issuance of the audited financial statement by counties pursuant to S. C. Code §4-9-150, and by municipalities pursuant to S. C. Code §5-7-240, the county or municipality must submit to the State Treasurer a copy of the audited financial statement and a statement of the actual costs associated with the preparation of the Uniform Supplemental Schedule Form. Upon submission to the State Treasurer, the county or municipality may retain and pay from the fines and assessments collected pursuant to this section the actual expense charged by the external auditor for the preparation of the Uniform Supplemental Schedule Form, not to exceed $1000. The Uniform Supplemental Schedule Form, an Excel spreadsheet, is included in the fees and assessments memorandum as Attachment S.
2. Effective July 1, 2018, Act No. 96 of 2017 amended S. C. Code §14-1-210 (A) regarding periodic audits of county treasurers, municipal treasurers, county clerks of court, magistrates and municipal courts, so as to make technical changes in compliance with the Act. That Section is provided below in its entirety.
3. Effective July 1, 2018, Section 59.15 of the Temporary Provisions of the 2018-2019 General Appropriations Act provides that counties and municipalities may retain carry forward victims funds that were collected pursuant to specified sections of the S. C. Code, but not more than $25,000 or ten percent of funds collected in the prior fiscal year, whichever is higher. Any unspent funds that are greater than the allowed carried forward funds, regardless of the year collected, must remit those funds to the State Victim Assistance Program (SVAP) with the Office of the Attorney General within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year. The Section further provides that SVAP shall offer training in technical assistance to each municipality and county on the use and accounting of victims funds. Section 59.15 is provided below.
4. Effective July 1, 2018, Section 61.6 of the Temporary Provisions of the 2018 - 2019 General Appropriations Act requires that every person placed on probation on or after July 1, 2003, who is represented by a public defender or appointed counsel, shall be assessed a fee of $500.00. These funds shall be collected by the clerk on a monthly basis and forwarded to the Commission on Indigent Defense.
5. Effective July 1, 2018, Section 61.7 of the Temporary Provisions of the 2018 - 2019 General Appropriations Act provides a procedure for the collection, distribution, and reporting of a $40 application fee for appointed counsel in civil actions. The Proviso requires that any person to whom counsel has been provided in any termination of parental rights, abuse and neglect, or any other civil court action, or the parents or legal guardians of a juvenile brought before any court, file application for court appointed counsel, and such representation creates a claim against the assets and the estate of the person who is provided counsel, or the parents or legal guardians of a juvenile provided counsel. Finally, this Proviso provides that any unpaid representation fees may be reduced to judgment against those individuals, parents, or legal guardians.
6. Effective July 1, 2018, Section 98.9 of the Temporary Provisions of the 2018 - 2019 General Appropriations Act provides that if a municipality fails to submit the audited financial requirements required under § 14-1-208 to the State Treasurer within 13 months of the end of their fiscal year, the State Treasurer must withhold all State payments to that municipality until the required audited financial statement is received. Section 98.9 is provided below.
7. Effective July 1, 2018, Section 105.4 of the Temporary Provisions of the 2018 - 2019 General Appropriations Act provides for the annual audits of court fees and fines by the State Auditor, and authorizes the State Auditor to consult with the State Treasurer to determine the jurisdictions to be audited. Section 105.4 is provided below.
8. Effective July 1, 2018, Section 117.51 of the Temporary Provisions of the 2018 - 2019 General Appropriations Act authorizes the Office of Crime Victim Compensation to conduct an audit on any county treasurer, municipal treasurer, county clerk of court, magistrate, or municipal court that the State Auditor has determined has not properly allocated revenue generated from court fines, fees, and assessments to the crime victim funds or has not properly expended crime victim funds pursuant to State law. Section 117.51 is provided below.
117.51. (GP: Assessment Audit / Crime Victim Funds) If the State Auditor finds that any county treasurer, municipal treasurer, county clerk of court, magistrate, or municipal court has not properly allocated revenue generated from court fines, fines, and assessments to the crime victim funds or has not properly expended crime victim funds, pursuant to Sections 14-1-206(B) and (D), 14-1-207(B) and (D), 14-1-208(B) and (D), and 14-1-211(B) of the 1976 Code, the State Auditor shall notify the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation. The State Department of Crime Victim Compensation is authorized to conduct an audit which shall include both a programmatic review and financial audit of any entity or nonprofit organization receiving victim assistance funding based on the referrals from the State Auditor or complaints of a specific nature received by the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation to ensure that crime victim funds are expended in accordance with the law. Guidelines for the expenditure of these funds shall be developed by the Victim Services Coordinating Council. The Victim Services Coordinating Council shall develop these guidelines to ensure any expenditure which meets the parameters of Article 15, Chapter 3, Title 16 is an allowable expenditure. Any local entity or nonprofit organization that receives funding from revenue generated from crime victim funds is required to submit their budget for the expenditure of these funds to the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation within thirty days of the budget's approval by the governing body of the entity or nonprofit organization. Failure to comply with this provision shall cause the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation to initiate a programmatic review and a financial audit of the entity's or nonprofit organization's expenditures of victim assistance funds. Additionally, the Department of Crime Victim Compensation will place the name of the noncompliant entity or nonprofit organization on their website where it shall remain until such time as they are in compliance with the terms of this proviso. Any entity or nonprofit organization receiving victim assistance funding must cooperate and provide expenditure/program data requested by the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation. If the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation finds an error, the entity or nonprofit organization has ninety days to rectify the error. An error constitutes an entity or nonprofit organization spending victim assistance funding on unauthorized items as determined by the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation. If the entity or nonprofit organization fails to cooperate with the programmatic review and financial audit or to rectify the error within ninety days, the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation shall assess and collect a penalty in the amount of the unauthorized expenditure plus $1,500 against the entity or nonprofit organization for improper expenditures. This penalty plus $1,500 must be paid within thirty days of the notification by the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation to the entity or nonprofit organization that they are in noncompliance with the provisions of this proviso. All penalties received by the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation shall be credited to the General Fund of the State. If the penalty is not received by the State Department of Crime Victim Compensation within thirty days of the notification, the political subdivision will deduct the amount of the penalty from the entity or nonprofit organization's subsequent fiscal year appropriation.
9. Effective July 1, 2018, Section 117.107 of the Temporary Provisions of the 2018 - 2019 General Appropriations Act authorizes the SC Criminal Justice Academy to cease providing services to all law enforcement officers of law enforcement agencies encompassed within a political subdivision for failing to comply with proper remittance of court fee and fine money. Section 117.107 is provided below.
117.107 (GP: Remittance of Court Fee and Fine Money) County and city treasurers are required to remit to the State Treasurer set percentages of revenues generated by assessments imposed by 14-1-206(A), 14-1-207(A), 14-1-208(A). This remittance is required on a monthly basis by the 15th day of each month.
The actual distribution of revenue generated by the circuit, family, and magistrate courts is handled by the county treasurer in most cases. City treasurers disburse monies generated by the municipal courts. The treasurers are required to remit the funds to the State Treasurer monthly on such forms and in such manner as is required by him. The county treasurer can determine which funds should be transmitted to the State Treasurer by referring to the clerks' South Carolina Revenue Report, and the magistrate's South Carolina Revenue Report, both of which are generated by the SC Judicial Department's Case Management System (CMS). A form fillable version of the remittance form to the State Treasurer from the County Treasurer may be accessed at the link below. Also, a judge’s total fine and assessment calculator is included as “ Attachment O.” http://treasurer.sc.gov/media/29003/MagistrateOnlineForm.pdf The Uniform Supplemental Schedule for use in the annual external audit for identifying victim funds is included as "Attachment S."