The bill amends Section 45-35-81.01 of the Code of Alabama 1975, specifically concerning court costs in Houston County. It outlines the assessment of an additional docket fee of twenty dollars ($20) in various types of cases, including juvenile, traffic, criminal, quasi-criminal, and civil cases. The bill specifies that this fee is to be collected in all cases where the defendant is adjudged guilty, a bond is forfeited, a penalty is imposed, or an alias or capias warrant of arrest is issued.

The bill also details the distribution of the collected fees. Ten dollars ($10) of the fee will go to the Houston County General Fund for the operation of the county jail. The distribution to the Houston County Circuit Clerk’s Office, previously one dollar ($1), has been deleted from the allocation. Instead, the amount distributed to the district attorney’s office or the fund prescribed by law for the district attorney’s office is increased from nine dollars ($9) to ten dollars ($10). The fees authorized by this section are in addition to other fees or costs and are not subject to waiver unless all fees are waived. The act is set to become effective on October 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 45-35-81
Enrolled: 45-35-81