AR HB1420

Administrative judges of circuit courts or district court judges may request a comprehensive security review from the Director of Security and Emergency Preparedness covering all courtrooms, courthouses, judges' chambers, and administrative offices.

The Director prepares a report detailing security deficiencies and recommends additional security measures with estimated costs, which is delivered to the administrative judge, Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

If the Chief Justice determines insufficient security measures exist, the judge may assess a court security fee not to exceed $10.00 per conviction for felonies, misdemeanors, or violations.

Court security fees are collected monthly and deposited into either a district court or circuit court security fee fund, then appropriated and spent by the governing body under the administrative judge's approval for security measures identified in the security report.

The court security fee may be modified or deauthorized by the Chief Justice when the court can maintain sufficient security measures without the fee subsidy.