User fee; funds
Sec. 9. (a) The court may order either or both parents of a child
for whom a guardian ad litem or court appointed special advocate is
appointed under this chapter to pay a user fee for the services
provided under this chapter. The court shall establish one (1) of the
following procedures to be used to collect the user fee:
(1) The court may order the clerk of the court to collect the user
fee and deposit the user fee into the county's guardian ad litem
fund or court appointed special advocate fund. The fiscal body
of the county shall appropriate money collected as user fees
under this chapter to the court having jurisdiction over custody
actions for the court's use in providing guardian ad litem or
court appointed special advocate services, including the costs
of representation.
(2) The court may order either or both parents to pay the user
fee to the:
(A) guardian ad litem program that provided the services; or
(B) court appointed special advocate program that provided
the services.
(3) The court may order either or both parents to pay the user
fee to the individual or attorney guardian ad litem that provided
the services.
(b) Money remaining in a county's:
(1) guardian ad litem fund; or
(2) court appointed special advocate fund;
at the end of the county's fiscal year does not revert to any other
fund.
(c) If the court orders either or both parents to pay the user fee
according to subsection (a)(2) or (a)(3) the program or the individual
or attorney guardian ad litem shall report to the court the receipt of
payment not later than thirty (30) days after receiving the payment.
As added by P.L.1-1997, SEC.9.
Last modified: May 24, 2006