New Mexico Statutes 34-9-11. Jury and witness fee fund created; administration;
distribution.
Terms Used In New Mexico Statutes 34-9-11
- Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Public defender: Represent defendants who can't afford an attorney in criminal matters.
A. There is created in the state treasury the “jury and witness fee fund” to be administered by the administrative office of the courts.
B. All balances in the jury and witness fee fund may be expended only upon appropriation by the legislature to the administrative office of the courts for the purpose of paying the costs of:
(1) jurors and prospective jurors;
(2) witnesses of fact or character subpoenaed by the court, the prosecution or the defense;
(3) expert witnesses for grand juries and magistrate courts; and
(4) defending persons whom the court has ordered a public defender to represent, when those persons do not meet the public defender department’s indigency standards.
C. All jury fees that the courts collect from parties requesting civil juries, except for jury demand fees as set forth in Section 35-6-1 N.M. Stat. Ann., and interest earned on money in the jury and witness fee fund shall be credited to the fund. Payments shall be made upon certification by judicial agencies of eligible amounts. No part of the fund shall revert at the end of any fiscal year.
D. Payments from the jury and witness fee fund shall be made upon vouchers issued and signed by the director of the administrative office of the courts or the director’s designee upon warrants drawn by the secretary of finance and administration.