A. In all parishes in which a criminalistics laboratory commission is now or is hereafter established and also in each parish in which the governing authority thereof elects to become a participating parish with a criminalistics laboratory commission as set forth hereinafter, optional methods of obtaining revenues as set forth in this Chapter may be used by the criminalistics laboratory commission with the concurrence and approval of the local governing body of each parish involved.

            B.(1) In all criminal cases prosecuted under state statutes, parish ordinances, or city ordinances in any mayor’s, city, parish, or district court of the state of Louisiana located within a parish which, upon approval of the governing body of such parish, is or hereafter becomes a part of a criminalistics laboratory commission or of a sheriff’s criminalistics laboratory as established by a legislative act, except in the city courts of the parish of Jefferson where taxation of the following costs shall be optional, there shall be taxed as costs against every defendant who is convicted after trial, or who enters a plea of guilty or of nolo contendere, or who forfeits his bond, a sum in accordance with the following schedule:

            (a) Operating a vehicle while intoxicated and drug offenses–fifty dollars.

            (b) Crimes defined in Title 14 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950–ten dollars.

            (c) Except as provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, violations of the provisions of Title 32 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, or of city or parish traffic ordinances–thirty dollars.

            (2) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a sum of ten dollars shall be charged or collected in the following cases:

            (a) Operating a vehicle with an expired inspection sticker.

            (b) Operating a vehicle with an expired driver’s license.

            (c) Operating a vehicle without a driver’s license upon one’s person.

            (d) Improper use of a safety belt in violation of La. Rev. Stat. 32:295.1.

            (e) The commission of any offense defined in Title 56 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.

            (3) The sums herein specified shall be fixed by the governing authority of the parishes that are participating in the criminalistics laboratory commission subject to the maximum amounts herein specified, and shall be taxed as costs and collected by the proper authority of the courts in which the prosecutions are brought; however, upon written request of each governing authority that participates in the criminalistics laboratory commission, such sums may be collected out of each fine imposed by a court in lieu of being added as additional costs in that court.

            (4) The sums so collected shall be remitted to the respective laboratory governing authorities, or to their designated custodians, on the first day of each month.

            (5) The sums so received by the laboratory governing authorities shall be used for the necessary operating expenses of the commissions and the laboratories.

            (6) Repealed by Acts 2015, No. 305, §2.

            C. The respective laboratory commission may designate as custodian of the fund the secretary-treasurer of a particular governing authority and if so his bond shall be applicable to this fund as to all others under his custody.

            D. The sums hereinabove provided for shall form no part of the criminal court fund of the court in which they are collected and shall be used exclusively for the operation and expenses of the respective criminalistics laboratory; however, upon written request by official action of the governing authority of any particular parish the sums accruing in district courts in that parish may be collected out of each fine imposed in lieu of being added as additional costs. The sums collected in any case may be reduced if in the judgment of the respective commission sufficient funds are available for operation of the laboratory with the reduced funds.

            E. The sums received by the respective criminalistics laboratory commission shall be used by the commission for necessary expenses of the commission and the criminalistics laboratory, including operating expenses, funds reserved for depreciation, and capital expenses. The commission shall annually prepare a budget which shall be approved by at least a majority of the governing authorities of the parishes which the commission serves. If revenues from the fees collected are not sufficient to pay the costs incurred as approved by the governing authorities in the budget, each governing authority may pay from its general fund its pro rata share of the amount necessary to eliminate the deficit, based upon the ratio which the assessed valuation of property in that parish bears to the total assessed valuations of property in all of the parishes.

            F. The sheriff of each parish, each municipality that operates a police department, and each district attorney who represents one or more parishes within the respective criminalistics laboratory commission area may make a direct contribution to the respective criminalistics laboratory commission, the sheriff from his salary fund, and the district attorney and municipality that operates a police department from any funds available to defray expenses of their office, including but not limited to pretrial intervention or diversion, from time to time in order to assist in alleviating any deficit that may be existing in the operating funds of the laboratory commission.

            Added by Acts 1972, No. 174, §1. Amended by Acts 1973, No. 160, §1; Acts 1981, No. 168, §2; Acts 1992, No. 814, §1; Acts 1993, No. 977, §1; Acts 2015, No. 305, §§1, 2; Acts 2022, No. 235, §1.

            NOTE: See Acts 2015, No. 305, §3. Contingent provisions are now effective per the October 6, 2015, minutes of the Judicial Council of the Supreme Court of Louisiana which indicate approval of the changes made in Acts 2015, No. 305.