SPONSOR: Veit
This bill creates the "Change of Venue for Capital Cases Fund", which will consist of money appropriated by the General Assembly. Money in the Fund is to be used solely for reimbursement to any county that receives a capital case from another county to cover the costs associated with the sequestering of jurors. At the conclusion of a capital case for which the venue was changed from one county to another, the initial county may apply to the Office of State Courts Administrator (OSCA) for reimbursement for the county that received the case. If a county is eligible for reimbursement, OSCA shall disburse the money to the county. If OSCA determines that a county is not eligible for reimbursement or the actual costs are more than the amount disbursed, the county in which the capital case originated shall be responsible for all or the remaining reimbursement.
Applications for reimbursement must be submitted by May 1 of the current fiscal year, and reimbursements must be made by June 30 of the current fiscal year. Reimbursements for applications submitted after May 1 of the current fiscal year will be made in the following fiscal year. If there is not enough money in the Fund at the end of the fiscal year when reimbursements are made, reimbursements will be made on a pro rata basis.
This bill is similar to HB 83 (2023) and HB 1548 (2022).
Statutes affected: