The bill establishes additional court costs in Choctaw County for civil, criminal, and quasi-criminal proceedings. Specifically, it mandates an additional court cost of fifty dollars ($50) for all civil cases filed in the circuit and district courts, with a reduced fee of twenty-five dollars ($25) for small claims court cases. Similarly, a fifty-dollar ($50) additional court cost will be assessed for all criminal and quasi-criminal cases in the same courts. Notably, these additional costs will not apply to filings made by the district attorney or judge of probate.
The collected court costs will be directed to a special fund known as the "Jail Fund," which will be used exclusively for the maintenance, repair, and operation of the county jail and jail complex, as well as for any debts incurred from its construction. The bill stipulates that these costs will be collected by the court clerk and deposited into the Jail Fund. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2025, contingent upon the ratification of a local constitutional amendment that allows for the levying of these additional court costs in Choctaw County.