2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 14 - Courts › Chapter 1 - General Provisions › Section 14-1-210. Periodic audits of county and municipal treasurers and clerks of court to determine whether mandated fees collected and remitted; reports; collection and distribution of assessments, training.

(A) Based upon a random selection process, the State Auditor shall periodically examine the books, accounts, receipts, disbursements, vouchers, and any records considered necessary of the county treasurers, municipal treasurers, county clerks of court, magistrates, and municipal courts to report whether or not the assessments, surcharges, fees, fines, forfeitures, escheatments, or other monetary penalties imposed or mandated, or both, by law in family court, circuit court, magistrates court, and municipal court are properly collected and remitted to the State. In addition, these audits shall determine if the proper amount of funds have been reported, retained, and allocated for victim services in accordance with the law. These audits must be performed in accordance with standard auditing practices to include the right to respond to findings before the publishing of the audit report. The State Auditor shall submit a copy of the completed audit report to the chairmen of the House Ways and Means Committee, Senate Finance Committee, House Judiciary Committee, Senate Judiciary Committee, and the Governor. If the State Auditor finds that a jurisdiction has over remitted the state's portion of the funds collected by the jurisdiction or over reported or over retained crime victim funds, the State Auditor shall notify the State Treasurer to make the appropriate adjustment to that jurisdiction. If the State Auditor finds that a jurisdiction has under remitted, incorrectly reported, incorrectly retained, or incorrectly allocated the State or victim services portion of the funds collected by the jurisdiction, the State Auditor shall determine where the error was made. If the error is determined to have been made by the county or municipal treasurer's office, the State Auditor shall notify the Office of the Attorney General, South Carolina Crime Victim Services Division, Department of Crime Victim Compensation for the crime victim portion and the chief administrator of the county or municipality of the findings and, if full payment has not been made by the county or municipality within ninety days of the audit notification, the State Treasurer shall adjust the jurisdiction's State Aid to Subdivisions Act funding in an amount equal to the amount determined by the State Auditor to be the state's portion; or equal to the amount incorrectly reported, retained, or allocated pursuant to Sections 14-1-206, 14-1-207, 14-1-208, and 14-1-211.
If an error is determined to have been made at the magistrate, municipal, family, or circuit courts, the State Auditor shall notify the responsible office, their supervising authority, and the Chief Justice of the State. If full payment has not been made by the court within ninety days of the audit notification, the chief magistrate or municipal court or clerk of court shall remit an amount equal to the amount determined by the State Auditor to be the state's portion or the crime victim fund portion within ninety days of the audit notification.
(B) The State Auditor shall conduct these examinations and the local authority is required to participate in and cooperate fully with the examination. The State Auditor may subcontract with independent auditors on audits required pursuant to subsection (A) of this section. The State Auditor shall create an audit team to perform these audits. The State Treasurer shall transfer, in each fiscal year, the first $10,900 received from the General Sessions Court pursuant to Section 14-1-206, the first $136,600 received from magistrates court pursuant to Section 14-1-207, and the first $102,500 received from municipal court pursuant to Section 14-1-208 for a total of $250,000 to the State Auditor's Office to fund these audits as required pursuant to subsection (A) of this section. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a state agency or local governmental entity receiving assessments, surcharges, fees, fines, forfeitures, escheatments, or other monetary penalties imposed or mandated, or both, by law in family court, circuit court, magistrates court, and municipal court may use any of its funds to assist the State Auditor's Office in funding these audits.
(C) Each municipality shall submit a copy of its annual audit report as provided pursuant to Section 5-7-240 without charge to both the Office of the State Treasurer and the State Auditor's Office within thirty days of the report being made public. If a municipality fails to provide the copy of the annual audit within the time provided, the Office of the State Treasurer may withhold the municipality's State Aid to Subdivisions Act distribution until the annual audit report is properly filed.
(D) The Office of the State Treasurer and South Carolina Court Administration shall make available annually training on the collection and distribution of assessments, surcharges, fees, fines, forfeitures, escheatments, or other monetary penalties imposed or mandated, or both, by law in family court, circuit court, magistrates court, and municipal court for the counties, municipalities, and court employees.
(E) The State Treasurer shall transfer, in each fiscal year, $2,000 received from the General Sessions Court pursuant to Section 14-1-206, $5,000 received from magistrates court pursuant to Section 14-1-207, and $3,000 received from municipal court pursuant to Section 14-1-208 for a total of $10,000 to fund annual training on the collection and distribution of assessments, surcharges, fees, fines, forfeitures, escheatments, or other monetary penalties imposed or mandated, or both, by law in family court, circuit court, magistrates court, and municipal court for the counties, municipalities, and court employees. The Office of the State Treasurer and South Carolina Court Administration are responsible for the annual training prescribed by this section.
HISTORY: 2008 Act No. 353, Section 2, Pt 23C, eff July 1, 2009; 2017 Act No. 96 (S.289), Pt. II, Section 4.G, eff July 1, 2017.
Effect of Amendment
2017 Act No. 96, Pt. II, Section 4.G, in (A), substituted "Office of the Attorney General, South Carolina Crime Victim Services Division, Department of Crime Victim Compensation" for "State Office of Victim Assistance", and made a nonsubstantive change.