This bill introduces a new booking fee for individuals booked into the Covington County Detention Center and subsequently convicted of a crime. The fee is set at thirty dollars ($30) and is to be collected in addition to any other fines, court costs, or charges imposed on the convicted individual. The fee does not apply to defendants housed on behalf of a municipality. The bill outlines the process for assessing and collecting the fee, with the clerk of the court responsible for entering the fee on the docket sheet and collecting it alongside court costs. The sheriff may also collect the fee and is required to notify the clerk of the court monthly about the fees imposed.

The revenue generated from this booking fee is designated for the Covington County Sheriff's Department Law Enforcement Fund, to be used for jail operations, including training, salaries, equipment, and other operational expenses or law enforcement needs as determined by the sheriff. The bill also allows the sheriff to withhold funds from any funds held for a person incarcerated to cover the booking fee and provides for the district attorney to assist in fee collection if necessary. The sheriff may also contract for the collection of the fees and pay a portion of those fees as a cost for collection. The bill ensures that the revenues from this act are supplementary to other funding sources and do not replace them. The act will become effective on the first day of the first month following the ratification of a proposed constitutional amendment authorizing additional court costs in Covington County. The bill was passed by the House on April 30, 2024, and by the Senate with an insertion on May 9, 2024.