Chapter 254
2015 -- H 5856
Enacted 07/15/2015

A N   A C T
RELATING TO PUBLIC FINANCE - ACCOUNTS AND CONTROL

Introduced By: Representatives Gallison, Canario, Serpa, Phillips, and Ruggiero
Date Introduced: March 12, 2015

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
     SECTION 1. Sections 35-6-13, 35-6-14, 35-6-26, 35-6-28, 35-6-31, 35-6-32 and 35-6-33
of the General Laws in Chapter 35-6 entitled "Accounts and Control" are hereby amended to read
as follows:
     35-6-13. Transmission of accounts allowed by courts. -- Every account allowed by the
supreme court or, by the superior court, family court, workers' compensation court, district court,
or traffic tribunal, and every certificate allowed for any attendance in these courts in cases
provided by law, except the attendance of officers in the county of Providence, shall, within
twenty (20) days after the close of any session thereof in counties other than the county of
Providence, and within twenty (20) days after the fifteenth day of February, May, August, and
November in each year in the county of Providence, and every account or bill of costs, with the
items thereof, allowed by any district court or by the supreme court, or by the superior court at
Providence for attendance of officers these courts, shall, at the end of every month, be transmitted
daily by the clerks of the courts, respectively, to the department of administration the supreme
court director of finance in accordance with § 8-15-9; and the account, certificate, or bill of costs
shall state the name of the person to whom the allowances have been made, the amount thereof,
and for what the allowance has been allowed.
     35-6-14. Payments for compensation of jurors. -- The state controller, based upon a
statement exhibited to him or her by the jury commissioner, to the supreme court director of
finance, may draw an order on the general treasurer in favor of the jury commissioner,
commissioner for a sum certain to pay the jurors for their travel and attendance at any session
thereof in any of the state courts that may require juries, which sum shall be accounted for by the
jury commissioner at the time of transmitting to the department of administration supreme court
director of finance the accounts named in § 35-6-13.
     35-6-26. Settlement of costs of state witnesses. -- Every officer receiving any money
from the treasury for disbursement as provided in §§ 35-6-22 -- 35-6-25 shall, within ten (10)
days after the disposition of the criminal trials before juries for the session, or portion of the
session, as the case may be, for which the money is obtained, deposit with the clerk of the court a
true copy, by him or her attested, of the book provided to be kept by him or her at the session,
showing record daily his or her disbursements of money; and shall return the original, with his or
her certificate endorsed thereon, under oath, that all matters therein contained are just and true, to
the department of administration; and shall pay over any balance in his or her hands to the state
treasurer supreme court director of finance or receive any balance due him or her from the state,
as, on settlement of the account with the state controller, may appear.
     35-6-28. Settlement of accounts of district court clerks. -- Every district court clerk
shall keep, in his or her office, a true copy, attested by him or her, of all certificates and record
daily all receipts containing evidence of and disbursements, and shall return each original
certificate and receipt to with the department of administration, supreme court director of finance
in accordance with § 8-15-9 accompanied by his or her certificate, that he or she believes the
certificate and receipt to be true and just in every particular, whenever it shall become his or her
duty according to law to settle his or her account with that department; and shall include his or
her account of the disbursements in the account which he or she shall then settle.
     35-6-31. Accounting for fines and forfeitures by others than clerks and justices. --
Accounting for court fines and forfeitures. -- Deputy sheriffs, jailers, and other persons, except
including clerks of courts and justices of district courts, receiving fines, penalties, and forfeitures
accruing, imposed by the court or belonging to the state, or costs due or payable to the court
and/or into the state treasury, shall account daily, with the department of administration supreme
court director of finance, in accordance with § 8-15-9, for the fines, penalties, forfeitures, and
costs, as often as may be required by the department.
     35-6-32. District court clerk's return of fines and penalties. --Court clerk's return of
fines and penalties. -- Every clerk of a district court shall shall, in accordance with § 8-15-9,
make a monthly daily return in writing to the department of administration supreme court director
of finance of all fines collected by him or her due the state during the preceding month, and the
amount and circumstances of the fines, if any, collected by the clerk; and shall therewith return an
abstract of his or her docket or record, showing the amount of fines imposed by the court, and
copies of the bills of costs on all complaints and warrants made, brought, or tried before the court;
and shall also make a return of all penalties and costs in any civil or criminal suit or process due
the state, which shall have come to or been in his or her hands since the preceding return, and the
amount and circumstances of the penalties and costs.
     35-6-33. Payment of criminal costs to person entitled. -- All costs received by the clerk
of any court, or by any justice of a district court, or other officer or person, which shall be paid by
defendants or others in criminal prosecutions, may be paid to the persons entitled to the costs,
shall be processed by the clerk, justice, officer, or person, until the time appointed for the
rendering of their accounts to through the department of administration as required by this chapter
supreme court director of finance in accordance with § 8-15-9; and all sums so received and paid
by the officials or persons shall be accounted for with the department of administration supreme
court director of finance.
     SECTION 2. Sections 35-6-21, 35-6-22 and 35-6-27 of the General Laws in Chapter 35-6
entitled "Accounts and Control" are hereby repealed.
     35-6-21. Accounting by clerks of court for fines and forfeitures. -- The clerk of the
supreme court and the clerks of the superior court shall, respectively, make a monthly return to
the department of administration of all fines, costs, penalties, and forfeiture defaulted
recognizances and other moneys collected by them and due the state during the preceding month.
The return shall be accompanied by their certificate duly notarized that they believe the return to
be true.
     35-6-22. Forms for costs of summoning state witnesses in criminal cases. -- The
department of administration, at every session of the superior court, shall provide the deputy
sheriff, who shall be selected by the attorney general to summon witnesses in criminal cases
before the court in behalf of the state, with suitable books for the certificates of the travel and
attendance of witnesses summoned and attending the court in behalf of the state, and for the
certificates of the fees of officers for summoning the witnesses, and for serving other criminal
process in behalf of the state at each session.
     35-6-27. Payment of fees accruing in district court proceedings. -- The department of
administration shall provide the clerk of every district court with proper blanks for certificates of
fees of witnesses and officers due from the state; and the clerk shall obtain the certificates of fees
of witnesses and officers before the court in behalf of the state, on the blanks, and, with the
approval of the justice of the court, made on examination of the facts immediately after the trial
of every case, shall forthwith pay, out of any public moneys in his or her hands, the fees, and take
proper receipts therefor, under the proper title of the case, on the blanks, and obtain the signature
of the justice approving the payments in each case, upon the blanks.
     SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC001853
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