§15. District attorney's worthless check collection fee

A. A district attorney may collect a fee whenever his office collects and processes a check, draft, or order for the payment of money upon any bank or other depository, if the check, draft, or order for payment of money on any bank or depository:

(1) Has been issued in a manner which makes the issuance an offense under R.S. 14:71; or

(2) Has been forged under R.S. 14:72.

B. The district attorney may collect the fee authorized by this Section from any person who is a principal to the offense described in Subsection A of this Section.

C. The amount of the fee shall not exceed:

(1) Fifteen dollars, if the face amount of the check, draft, or order for the payment of money does not exceed fifteen dollars.

(2) Thirty-five dollars, if the face amount of the check, draft, or order for the payment of money is greater than fifteen dollars but does not exceed one hundred dollars.

(3) Seventy-five dollars, if the face amount of the check, draft, or order for the payment of money is greater than one hundred dollars but does not exceed three hundred dollars.

(4) One hundred twenty-five dollars, if the face amount of the check, draft, or order for the payment of money is greater than three hundred dollars but does not exceed five hundred dollars.

(5) One hundred seventy-five dollars or twenty percent, whichever amount is greater, if the face amount of the check, draft, or order for the payment of money is greater than five hundred dollars.

D. If the person from whom the fee is collected was a principal to the offense of forgery, under R.S. 14:72, committed by altering the face amount of the check, draft, or order for the payment of money, the face amount as altered governs for the purpose of determining the amount of the fee.

E. Fees collected under this Section shall be deposited in a special fund to be administered by the district attorney. Expenditures from this fund shall be at the sole discretion of the district attorney and may be used only to defray the salaries and expenses of the office of the district attorney, but in no event may the district attorney supplement his or her own salary from this fund. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to decrease the total salaries, expenses, and allowances which the office of a district attorney is receiving at the time this Section takes effect.

F. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection E of this Section, in addition to the fees collected as provided in Subsection C of this Section, the district attorney shall collect a fee of twenty-five dollars per worthless check which shall be payable to the person or entity that honored the worthless check or checks.

Added by Acts 1983, No. 196, §1; Acts 1986, No. 74, §1; Acts 1991, No. 171, §2; Acts 1997, No. 1443, §1; Acts 2003, No. 440, §1.