South Carolina Court Administration
South Carolina Supreme Court
Columbia, South Carolina

MEMORANDUM

This past legislative term there was legislation passed that will impact the collection, distribution and reporting of court generated revenues. There were several temporary provisos in the 2013-2014 General Appropriations Act that have been repeated in previous General Appropriations Acts and are repeated again in the 2014 - 2015 General Appropriations Act. Finally, there is one addition to the memorandum concerning court generated revenue which was passed into law numerous years ago.

The entire fees and assessments memorandum for fiscal year 2014 - 2015 will not be distributed in hard copy, but is available on the Judicial Department website at www.sccourts.org under “Court News.”  You may wish to download and print the memoranda for your reference. 

1. Effective June 13, 2014, Act No. 247 of 2014 adds S.C. Code §14-1-240, to require that, in addition to all other assessments and surcharges, a $5.00 surcharge to fund training at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy is also levied on all fines, forfeitures, escheatments, or other monetary penalties imposed in the General Sessions Court or in magistrate or municipal court for misdemeanor traffic offenses or for non-traffic violations.  No portion of the surcharge may be waived, reduced, or suspended. The addition of this statute to the Code simply codifies verbatim a proviso that has been included in the last several General Appropriations Acts. This $5.00 surcharge is not a new additional assessment and has no effect on the criminal assessment and surcharge requirements from this previous year.

2. Effective June 6, 2014, R292, H361 repealed S.C. Code § 47-1-160, which required that if a court determined that there was a nonprofit humane organization materially involved in or aiding in the prosecution of a violation of any cruelty to animal offense found in Chapter 1 of Title 47 of the South Carolina Code of Laws, one half of the fine must be distributed to that organization. With the repeal of this statute, 100% any fine imposed and collected from those offenses found in Chapter 1 of Title 47 would be deposited in the county or municipal general fund.

3. Effective July 1, 2000, Act No. 245 of 2000 amended Section 44-1-152 to require that criminal fines generated from violations of State shellfish laws found in Title 44, or regulations promulgated by DHEC, must be transmitted to the County Treasurer monthly. One-third of the fine must be placed in the County General Fund. The remaining two-thirds is split, with one-half remitted to the State to be deposited in the general fund, and one-half to be remitted to DHEC to be used in enforcing shellfish laws and regulations.

4. Effective July 1, 2013, Section 61.7 of the Temporary Provisions of the 2014 - 2015 General Appropriations Act requires that every person placed on probation on or after July 1, 2003, who is represented by a public defender or appointed counsel, shall be assessed a fee of $500.00.  These funds shall be collected by the clerk on a monthly basis and forwarded to the Commission on Indigent Defense.  This proviso has been included in the last several General Appropriations Acts and is repeated in this year’s Appropriations Act and is not an addition to collections.

5.  Effective July 1, 2014, section 61.8 of the Temporary Provisions of the 2014 - 2015 General Appropriations Act provides a procedure for the collection, distribution, and reporting of a $40 application fee for appointed counsel in civil actions. The Proviso requires that any person to whom counsel has been provided in any termination of parental rights, abuse and neglect, or any other civil court action, or the parents or legal guardians of a juvenile brought before any court, file application for court appointed counsel, and such representation creates a claim against the assets and the estate of the person who is provided counsel, or the parents or legal guardians of a juvenile provided counsel. Finally, this Proviso provides that any unpaid representation fees may be reduced to judgment against those individuals, parents, or legal guardians.  This proviso has been included in the last several General Appropriations Acts and is repeated in this year’s Appropriations Act.

6. Effective July 1, 2014, Section 97.9 of the Temporary Provisions of the 2014-2015 General Appropriations Act provides that if a municipality fails to submit the audited financial requirements required under § 14-1-208 to the State Treasurer within 13 months of the end of their fiscal year, the State Treasurer must withhold all State payments to that municipality until the required audited financial statement is received.

If the State Treasurer receives an audit report from either a county or a municipality that contains a “significant finding” related to court fine reports or remittances to the State Treasurer’s Office, the requirements of proviso 117.55 shall be followed if an amount due is specified, otherwise the State Treasurer shall withhold 25% of all state payments to the county or municipality until the estimated deficiency has been satisfied.

If a county or municipality is more than 90 days delinquent remitting court fines, the State Treasurer shall withhold 25% of state funding for that county or municipality until all monthly reports are current.

After 90 days, any funds held by the State Treasurer’s Office will be made available to the State Auditor to conduct an audit of the entity for the purpose of determining an amount due to the State Treasurer’s Office, if any.  This proviso has been included in the last several General Appropriations Acts and is repeated in this year’s Appropriations Act.

7.  Effective July 1, 2014, Section 102.4 of the Temporary Provisions of the 2014 - 2015 General Appropriations Act provides for the annual audits of court fees and fines by the State Auditor, and authorizes the State Auditor to consult with the State Treasurer to determine the jurisdictions to be audited. Section 102.4 is provided below.

102.4. (BCB/AUD: Annual Audit of Court Fees and Fines Reports) The State Auditor shall conduct a minimum of fifteen (15) audits annually of county treasurers, municipal treasurers, county clerks of court, magistrates and/or municipal courts as required by Section 14-1-210 of the 1976 Code and allowed by Proviso 118.4 of this act; however, the State Auditor shall not be required to spend more than the annual amount of $250,000, received from the State Treasurer to conduct the said audits pursuant to Section 14-1-210 of the 1976 Code. The State Auditor may contract with one or more CPA/accounting firms to conduct the required audits. The State Auditor shall consult with the State Treasurer to determine the jurisdictions to be audited in the current fiscal year. Jurisdictions may be selected randomly or based on an instance in the current or previous fiscal year of failing to report, incorrectly reporting or under remitting amounts owed. The funds transferred to the State Auditor by the State Treasurer shall not be used for any purpose other than to conduct the described audits and report whether or not the assessments, surcharges, fees, fines, forfeitures, escheatments, or other monetary penalties imposed and/or mandated are properly collected and remitted to the State. Any unexpended balance on June thirtieth of the prior fiscal year shall be carried forward and must be expended for the same purpose during the current fiscal year. The State Auditor shall annually report by October 1, its findings of the jurisdictions audited to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee.

8. Effective July 1, 2014, Section 117.57 of the Temporary Provisions of the 2014 - 2015 General Appropriations Act authorizes the State Office of Victim Assistance to conduct an audit on any county treasurer, municipal treasurer, county clerk of court, magistrate, or municipal court that the State Auditor has determined has not properly allocated revenue generated from court fines, fines, and assessments to the crime victim funds or has not properly expended crime victim funds pursuant to State law This proviso has been included in the last several General Appropriations Acts and is repeated in this year’s Appropriations Act.

117.57.   (GP: Assessment Audit / Crime Victim Funds)  If the State Auditor finds that any county treasurer, municipal treasurer, county clerk of court, magistrate, or municipal court has not properly allocated revenue generated from court fines, fines, and assessments to the crime victim funds or has not properly expended crime victim funds, pursuant to Sections 14-1-206(B)(D), 14-1-207(B)(D), 14-1-208(B)(D), and 14-1-211(B) of the 1976 Code, the State Auditor shall notify the State Office of Victim Assistance.  The State Office of Victim Assistance is authorized to conduct an audit which shall include both a programmatic review and financial audit of any entity or non-profit organization receiving victim assistance funding based on the referrals from the State Auditor or complaints of a specific nature received by the State Office of Victim Assistance to ensure that crime victim funds are expended in accordance with the law.  Guidelines for the expenditure of these funds shall be developed by the Victim Services Coordinating Council.  The Victim Services Coordinating Council shall develop these guidelines to ensure any expenditure which meets the parameters of Title 16, Chapter 3, Article 15 is an allowable expenditure.  Any local entity or non-profit organization that receives funding from revenue generated from crime victim funds is required to submit their budget for the expenditure of these funds to the State Office of Victim Assistance within thirty days of the budget's approval by the governing body of the entity or non-profit organization.  Failure to comply with this provision shall cause the State Office of Victim Assistance to initiate a programmatic review and a financial audit of the entity's or non-profit organization's expenditures of victim assistance funds.  Additionally, the State Office of Victim Assistance will place the name of the non-compliant entity or non-profit organization on their website where it shall remain until such time as they are in compliance with the terms of this proviso.  Any entity or non-profit organization receiving victim assistance funding must cooperate and provide expenditure/program data requested by the State Office of Victim Assistance.  If the State Office of Victim Assistance finds an error, the entity or non-profit organization has ninety days to rectify the error.  An error constitutes an entity or non-profit organization spending victim assistance funding on unauthorized items as determined by the State Office of Victims Assistance.  If the entity or non-profit organization fails to cooperate with the programmatic review and financial audit or to rectify the error within ninety days, the State Office of Victim Assistance shall assess and collect a penalty in the amount of the unauthorized expenditure plus $1,500 against the entity or non-profit organization for improper expenditures.  This penalty plus $1,500 must be paid within thirty days of the notification by the State Office of Victim Assistance to the entity or non-profit organization that they are in non-compliance with the provisions of this proviso.  All penalties received by the State Office of Victim Assistance shall be credited to the General Fund of the State.  If the penalty is not received by the State Office of Victim Assistance within thirty days of the notification, the political subdivision will deduct the amount of the penalty from the entity or non-profit organization's subsequent fiscal year appropriation.

9. Effective July 1, 2014, Section 117.121 of the Temporary Provisions of the 2014 - 2015 General Appropriations Act authorizes the SC Criminal Justice Academy to cease providing services to all law enforcement officers of law enforcement agencies encompassed within a political subdivision for failing to comply with proper remittance of court fee and fine money. Section 117.121 is provided below.

117.121. (GP: Remittance of Court Fee and Fine Money) County and city treasurers are required to remit to the State Treasurer set percentages of revenues generated by assessments imposed by 14-1-206(A), 14-1-207(A), 14-1-208(A). This remittance is required on a monthly basis by the 15th day of each month. Should a county and/or city treasurer fail to make the required remittance, the SC Criminal Justice Academy shall cease providing services to all law enforcement officers of all law enforcement agencies encompassed within the political subdivision if they have failed to make remittance for two consecutive months in a fiscal year. The finance director shall certify by July 1, under oath, that the county and/or city has remitted all funds or the SC Criminal Justice Academy shall withhold services until such time as remittance is made.

Copies of any of the legislation referenced above may be obtained by visiting the Legislative website at http://www.scstatehouse.gov.

The enclosed memorandum has been updated to reflect these amendments and discusses these changes in more detail. This memorandum supersedes prior memoranda from Court Administration on the collection and distribution of court generated revenue. It attempts to outline and explain the statutory procedures for collecting and distributing revenues in the circuit, family, magistrate, and municipal courts as well as the register of deeds. Examples of several of the distributions covered in the text of the memorandum appear in the attachments.

The actual distribution of revenue generated by the circuit, family, and magistrate courts is handled by the county treasurer in most cases. City treasurers disburse monies generated by the municipal courts. The treasurers are required to remit the funds to the State Treasurer monthly on such forms and in such manner as is required by him. The county treasurer can determine which funds should be transmitted to the State Treasurer by referring to the magistrates' South Carolina Revenue Report, which is generated by the South Carolina Judicial Department's Case Management System (CMS). The State Treasurer has not provided us with a copy of the 2014 - 2015 remittance form, but we will provide this to you when we receive it.  CMS has a comparable document, and we will provide the updated form to CMS when we receive it from the State Treasurer.  The city treasurer can determine which funds should be transmitted to the State Treasurer by referring to the municipal courts' remittance form which is included as "Attachment F." For those cities that are on CMS, please refer to the Municipal Revenue Report, rather than Attachment F.  Also, see “Attachment K” for a schedule of civil filing fees collected in magistrate’s court.  “ Attachment L” includes a list of approved expenditures for victims’ funds.  Also, examples of specific fines and applicable assessments/surcharges are included as “Attachment M.”  A list of State parking laws exempt from assessments can be found at “Attachment N” of the enclosed memorandum.  The recommended roadside bond list, which contains numerous crimes and offenses and applicable assessments, is found at “Attachment P.”  Finally, “Attachment O” contains the judge’s total calculator.

In this discussion of the distribution of funds, the general rule for each court is stated and followed by an explanation of the statutory exceptions for distribution. The outline which precedes the memorandum summarizes its contents. Please note in the memorandum specific time guidelines pertaining to the transmittal of these revenues. Strict, prompt adherence to the reporting guidelines is required.

Please provide copies of this memorandum to all members of your staff whose duties relate to the collection or distribution of court revenues. If you or your staff has any questions concerning the collection or distribution of revenue, do not hesitate to contact this office.

Cc:  Municipal Treasurers