GA Code § 47-11-51 (2021)
2021 Georgia Code|Title 47 - Retirement and Pensions|Chapter 11 - Judges of the Probate Courts Retirement Fund of Georgia|Article 4 - Revenues Collected From Fines and Fees|§ 47-11-51. Payment to Fund of a Portion of Criminal and Quasi-Criminal Fines and Forfeited Bonds; Duty to Record and Report Collection; Penalties

  In every criminal and quasi-criminal case for violating state statutes or traffic laws which is before a judge of the probate court and in which case a fine is collected or a bond is forfeited, $3.00 shall be collected by the judge, clerk of court, or other collecting authority. Such bond or fine shall be construed to include costs.   The sum provided for shall be paid to the board before the payment of any cost or any claims whatsoever against such fine or forfeiture. It is made the duty of the judge of the probate court or other authority collecting the money to keep accurate records of the amount due the board so that the same may be audited or inspected at any time by any representative of the board at the direction of the board. Sums remitted to the board under this Code section shall be used as provided for elsewhere in this chapter.     All moneys required to be paid to the board by this Code section shall be due on the twentieth day of the month after collection. Each judge of the probate court, clerk of court, or other collecting authority shall pay such moneys to the board no later than such due date and shall submit with such moneys a sworn statement of the number and nature of transactions for which such moneys are required to be paid and the amount due. Such sworn statement shall be on a form furnished to each judge of the probate court by the board.   Moneys not paid when due shall bear interest at the rate of 7 percent per annum.   Moneys not paid within 60 days of the date they are due shall be delinquent. There shall be imposed on delinquent funds a specific penalty in the amount of 5 percent of the principal amount delinquent per month for each month such moneys remain delinquent; but such specific penalty shall not exceed 25 percent of the principal amount due. Such specific penalty shall be in addition to the 7 percent per annum interest charged on overdue moneys.   For failure to file the written report of transactions and amount due when due, there shall be imposed a specific penalty in the amount of $5.00 for each month such report remains overdue; but such specific penalty shall not exceed $50.00 for failure to file any one report.   By affirmative vote of all the members, the board, upon the payment of all overdue funds and interest and for good cause shown, may waive the specific penalties provided by paragraphs (3) and (4) of this subsection.      (Ga. L. 1958, p. 185, § 16; Ga. L. 1959, p. 354, § 6; Ga. L. 1980, p. 1321, § 2; Ga. L. 1986, p. 1494, § 2; Ga. L. 2012, p. 677, § 1/HB 351.)    The 2012 amendment,  effective July 1, 2012, in subsection (a), substituted the present provisions of subsection (a) for the former provisions, which read: "In every criminal and quasi-criminal case for violating state statutes or traffic laws, which case is before a judge of the probate court and in which case a fine is collected or a bond is forfeited, a sum based upon the scale set out below for each case shall be collected by the judge or other collecting authority. Such bond or fine shall be construed to include costs. Such sums shall be paid upon the following scale:   "For any fine or bond forfeiture of more than $4.00, but not more than $25.00 . .. . $ 1.00   "For any fine or bond forfeiture of more than $25.00, but not more than $50.00 . .. . $ 1.50   "For any fine or bond forfeiture of more than $50.00, but not more than $100.00 . .. . $ 2.00   "For any fine or bond forfeiture of more than $100.00 . .. . $ 2.50"; in paragraph (c)(1), inserted "clerk of court" in the second sentence; and, in paragraph (c)(3), deleted the former last sentence, which read: "All funds due on or before July 10, 1980, shall be delinquent 60 days after such date."   OPINIONS OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL   Payments to fund not court costs.   - General Assembly has drawn a plain distinction between court costs and the payments which must be made into retirement systems; therefore, payments which are to be made into the Judges of the Probate Retirement Fund should not be treated as part of court costs. 1972 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 72-29.   RESEARCH REFERENCES   Am. Jur. 2d.   - 60A Am. Jur. 2d, Pensions and Retirement Funds, § 1169 et seq.