This bill amends the distribution of collected criminal case fines in Iowa, specifically altering the percentages allocated to the state court administrator and county treasurer. Under the current law, 91 percent of the fines go to the state court administrator and 9 percent to the county treasurer. The bill changes these allocations to 85 percent for the state court administrator and 8 percent for the county treasurer, while introducing a new allocation of 7 percent to a victim restitution fund established by the bill.

The victim restitution fund will be a separate fund in the state treasury, managed by the department of justice, and dedicated to compensating victims for pecuniary damages and restitution related to the death of a victim. The fund will consist of the newly allocated 7 percent from the fines and any appropriations made to it. Importantly, any unencumbered or unobligated funds at the end of a fiscal year will not revert but will remain available for future expenditures, ensuring ongoing support for victim restitution efforts.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 602.8106