3-5-901. State assumption of district court expenses. (1) There is a state-funded district court program. Under this program, the state shall fund all district court costs, except as provided in subsection (4). These costs include but are not limited to:
     (a) salaries and benefits for:
     (i) district court judges;
     (ii) law clerks;
     (iii) court reporters, as provided in 3-5-601;
     (iv) juvenile probation officers, youth division offices staff, and assessment officers of the youth court; and
     (v) other employees of the district court;
     (b) in criminal cases, fees for transcripts of proceedings, as provided in 3-5-604, expenses for indigent defense that are paid under contract or at an hourly rate, and expenses for psychiatric examinations;
     (c) the district court expenses in all postconviction proceedings held pursuant to Title 46, chapter 21, and in all habeas corpus proceedings held pursuant to Title 46, chapter 22, and appeals from those proceedings;
     (d) the following expenses incurred by the state in federal habeas corpus cases that challenge the validity of a conviction or of a sentence:
     (i) transcript fees;
     (ii) witness fees; and
     (iii) expenses for psychiatric examinations;
     (e) the following expenses incurred by the state in a proceeding held pursuant to Title 41, chapter 3, part 4 or 6, that seeks temporary investigative authority of a youth, temporary legal custody of a youth, or termination of the parent-child legal relationship and permanent custody:
     (i) transcript fees;
     (ii) witness fees;
     (iii) expenses for medical and psychological evaluation of a youth or the youth's parent, guardian, or other person having physical or legal custody of the youth except for expenses for services that a person is eligible to receive under a public program that provides medical or psychological evaluation;
     (iv) expenses associated with appointment of a guardian ad litem or child advocate for the youth; and
     (v) expenses associated with court-ordered alternative dispute resolution;
     (f) in involuntary commitment cases pursuant to 53-21-121, reasonable compensation for services and related expenses for counsel appointed by the court;
     (g) costs of the court-sanctioned educational program concerning the effects of dissolution of marriage on children, as required in 40-4-226, and expenses of education when ordered for the investigation and preparation of a report concerning parenting arrangements, as provided in 40-4-215(2)(a);
     (h) all district court expenses associated with civil jury trials if similar expenses were paid out of the district court fund or the county general fund in any previous year;
     (i) all other costs associated with the operation and maintenance of the district court, including contract costs for court reporters who are independent contractors, but excluding the cost of providing district court office, courtroom, and other space as provided in 3-1-125; and
     (j) costs of the youth court and youth court division operations pursuant to 41-5-111 and subsection (1)(a) of this section, except for those costs paid by other entities identified in Title 41, chapter 5, and the costs of providing youth court office, courtroom, and other space as provided in 3-1-125.
     (2) In addition to the costs assumed under the state-funded district court program, as provided in subsection (1), the state shall fund and directly pay the expenses of the appellate defender program. These costs must be allocated to and paid by the appellate defender program.
     (3) In addition to the costs assumed under the state-funded district court program, as provided in subsection (1), the state shall reimburse counties, within 30 days of receipt of a claim, for the following:
     (a) in district court criminal cases:
     (i) expenses for indigent defense that are not paid under subsection (1)(b);
     (ii) juror fees and necessary expenses; and
     (iii) witness fees and necessary expenses as provided in 46-15-116;
     (b) in proceedings under subsection (1)(e):
     (i) expenses for appointed counsel for the youth; and
     (ii) expenses for appointed counsel for the parent, guardian, or other person having physical or legal custody of the youth; and
     (c) costs of juror and witness fees and witness expenses before a grand jury.
     (4) For the purposes of subsection (1), district court costs do not include:
     (a) one-half of the salaries of county attorneys;
     (b) salaries of deputy county attorneys;
     (c) salaries of employees and expenses of the offices of county attorneys;
     (d) costs for clerks of district court and employees and expenses of the offices of the clerks of district court;
     (e) costs of providing and maintaining district court office space; or
     (f) charges incurred against a county by virtue of any provision of Title 7 or 46.

     History: En. Sec. 1, Ch. 680, L. 1985; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 1, Sp. L. 1985; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 416, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 704, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 6, Ch. 781, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 330, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 535, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 394, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 41, Ch. 278, L. 2001; amd. Sec. 17, Ch. 585, L. 2001; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 583, L. 2003; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 585, L. 2003.