A.(1)  In all criminal cases prosecuted under state statutes, parish ordinances, or municipal ordinances in any city, parish, municipal, or district court of the state sitting within a member parish, the court shall assess, in addition to and separate from other 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 fee in accordance with the following schedule:

(a)  The court shall, upon the conviction of the defendant for violation of the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law, assess against the defendant a fee of not less than one hundred nor more than five hundred dollars as reimbursement to the commission if laboratory personnel performed a scientific test of any evidence seized pursuant to the investigation or prosecution of the violation.  The commission may establish a schedule stating the estimated cost of performing the test which may be used by the court in determining the amount of the fees.

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

(2)  The fees provided for in Paragraph (1) hereof shall form no part of the criminal court fund of any court; however, upon written request by official action of the governing authority of any member parish or municipality thereof, the fees may be collected out of each fine imposed in lieu of being added as a fee or additional costs in that court.

(3)  The fees provided for in Paragraph (1) hereof shall be collected by the respective city marshals, constables, or sheriffs and shall be remitted to the commission by the fifteenth day of the month following the month in which they are collected.

(4)  The commission shall use the revenue received from such fees for all necessary expenses of the commission and of the laboratory, and for branch or satellite laboratories, including operating expenses, funds reserved for depreciation, capital expenses, and costs of constructing and maintaining buildings.  The commission shall prepare an annual budget which shall be approved by a majority of the governing authorities of the member parishes.  If revenues from the fees collected are not sufficient to pay the costs incurred as approved by the governing authorities in the budget, each such 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 the parish bears to the total assessed valuations of property in all of the member parishes.

(5)  The revenues and fees received by the commission shall not be construed to be revenues of Nicholls State University.

B.  The sheriff of each parish within the area served by the commission may make a direct contribution from time to time to the commission from his salary fund in order to assist in alleviating any deficit that may be existing in the operating funds of the commission.

Acts 1988, No. 82, §1, eff. June 23, 1988.