2019 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 51 - Courts
Chapter 873 - Court Clerks
Section 51-56a - Accounting for receipts by court clerks. Remittance of certain amounts to municipalities. Additional fees to fund police training. Surcharge for violations.

(a) Each clerk of the Supreme Court and Superior Court shall account for and pay or deposit all fees, fines, forfeitures and contributions made to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund and the proceeds of judgments of such clerk’s office in the manner provided by section 4-32. If any such clerk fails to so account and pay or deposit, such failure shall be reported by the Treasurer to the Chief Court Administrator who may thereupon remove the clerk. When any such clerk dies before so accounting and paying or depositing, the Treasurer shall require the executor of such clerk’s will or administrator of such clerk’s estate to so account. If any such clerk is removed from office, the Treasurer shall require such clerk to account for any money of the state remaining in such clerk’s hands at the time of such removal and, if such clerk neglects to so account, the Treasurer shall certify the neglect to the Chief Court Administrator.

(b) (1) The state shall remit to the municipalities in which the violations occurred all amounts received in respect to the violation of subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 14-12, sections 14-251, 14-252, 14-253a and 14-305 to 14-308, inclusive, or any regulation adopted thereunder or ordinance enacted in accordance therewith, and (2) in the case of the municipalities ranked one to eight, inclusive, when all municipalities are ranked from highest to lowest in population, based on the most recent federal decennial census, the state shall remit to the municipality in which the violations occurred fifty per cent of the fine amounts received in respect to the violation of section 14-250b, or any ordinance enacted in accordance therewith. Each clerk of the Superior Court or the Chief Court Administrator, or any other official of the Superior Court designated by the Chief Court Administrator, shall, on or before the thirtieth day of January, April, July and October in each year, certify to the Comptroller the amount due for the previous quarter under this subsection to each municipality served by the office of the clerk or official, provided prior to the institution of court proceedings, a city, town or borough shall have the authority to collect and retain all proceeds from parking violations committed within the jurisdiction of such city, town or borough.

(c) For the purpose of providing additional funds for municipal and state police training, each person who pays in any sum as (1) a fine or forfeiture for any violation of section 14-12, 14-215, 14-219, 14-222, 14-224, 14-225, 14-227a, 14-227m, 14-227n, 14-266, 14-267a, 14-269 or 14-283, or (2) a fine or forfeiture for any infraction, shall pay an additional fee of one dollar for each eight dollars or fraction thereof of the amount such person is required to pay, except if such payment is made for violation of such a section which is deemed to be an infraction, such additional fee shall be only on the first eighty-eight dollars of such fine or forfeiture. Such additional fee charged shall be deposited in the General Fund.

(d) Each person who pays in any sum as a fine or forfeiture for any violation of sections 14-218a, 14-219, 14-222, 14-223, 14-227a, 14-227m, 14-227n, sections 14-230 to 14-240, inclusive, sections 14-241 to 14-249, inclusive, section 14-279 for the first offense, sections 14-289b, 14-299, 14-300, 14-300d, 14-301 to 14-303, inclusive, or any regulation adopted under said sections or ordinance enacted in accordance with said sections shall pay an additional fee of fifteen dollars. The state shall remit to the municipalities in which the violations occurred the amounts paid under this subsection. Each clerk of the Superior Court or the Chief Court Administrator, or any other official of the Superior Court designated by the Chief Court Administrator, on or before the thirtieth day of January, April, July and October in each year, shall certify to the Comptroller the amount due for the previous quarter under this subsection to each municipality served by the office of the clerk or official.

(e) The state shall remit to the municipalities in which the violation occurred all fine amounts received in respect to the violation of section 14-279 after crediting twelve per cent of such fine amounts to the Special Transportation Fund established under section 13b-68 and crediting eight per cent of such fine amounts to the General Fund. Each clerk of the Superior Court or the Chief Court Administrator, or any other official of the Superior Court designated by the Chief Court Administrator, shall, on or before the thirtieth day of January, April, July and October in each year, certify to the Comptroller the amount due for the previous quarter under this subsection to each municipality served by the office of the clerk or official.

(1961, P.A. 186, S. 1; 523; 1963, P.A. 127; 263, S. 1; 544; February, 1965, P.A. 223, S. 1; 574, S. 36, 37; 1969, P.A. 702; P.A. 73-616, S. 38; P.A. 74-183, S. 41, 291; P.A. 75-457, S. 1, 2; P.A. 76-436, S. 10a, 71, 681; P.A. 77-19, S. 2; 77-340, S. 10; P.A. 78-280, S. 76, 127; 78-321; P.A. 79-534, S. 1; P.A. 80-219; 80-270, S. 2, 3; 80-466, S. 24, 25; 80-483, S. 183, 186; P.A. 81-426, S. 1; P.A. 82-248, S. 54; 82-298, S. 2; 82-359; P.A. 83-518, S. 1; P.A. 84-313, S. 1; P.A. 06-106, S. 1; 06-152, S. 8; P.A. 11-6, S. 113, 143; 11-255, S. 4; P.A. 16-54, S. 4; 16-126, S. 28; 16-207, S. 1; P.A. 17-105, S. 9.)

History: 1963 acts reduced amount remitted under Subdiv. (b)(1) from one-third to one-quarter and provided certification of such amounts could be by chief judge, chief clerk or other official as well as clerk changing certification date from fifteenth to thirtieth and added Subsec. (d); 1965 acts changed reference in Subdiv. (b)(1) from Sec. 14-227 to 14-227a, deleted Subsec. (c) providing for allocation of remitted fines between Rockville and the Vernon fire district, relettering Subsec. (d) accordingly and reducing amount remitted from one-third to one-quarter; 1969 act added proviso in Subsec. (b) re authority of city, town or borough to collect and retain proceeds of parking violations; P.A. 73-616 updated section references in Subsec. (b)(1); P.A. 74-183 applied Subsec. (a) to supreme, superior and common pleas court clerks rather than to circuit court clerks and applied Subsec. (b) to common pleas clerks rather than to circuit court clerks, reflecting transfer of circuit court functions, effective December 31, 1974; P.A. 75-457 amended Subsec. (c) re payment of court fines to the city of Willimantic; P.A. 76-436 amended Subsec. (a) to delete common pleas clerk from provisions and to transfer power to remove clerk from chief judge of court to chief court administrator and amended Subsec. (b) to replace common pleas court clerks and officials with superior court clerks and officials, to replace chief judge with chief court administrator and to delete chief clerks as persons designated to certify amounts due, reflecting transfer of common pleas court functions to superior court, effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 77-19 deleted reference to Sec. 14-259 in Subsec. (b); P.A. 77-340 added reference to Sec. 14-218a in Subsec. (b); P.A. 78-280 made technical correction in Subsec. (a), substituting chief court administrator for chief judge for consistency with P.A. 76-436 in Subsec. (a); P.A. 78-321 added Subsec. (d) re additional fees; P.A. 79-534 made wording changes in Subsecs. (a) and (d) and specified that additional fees in Subsec. (d) are “for the purpose of providing additional funds for municipal police training”; P.A. 80-219 amended Subsec. (d)(2) to replace 10% fee with fee of $1 for each $10 or fraction thereof; P.A. 80-270 deleted former Subsecs. (b) and (c) re disposition of motor vehicle fines, relettering former Subsec. (d) accordingly; P.A. 80-466 inserted new Subsec. (b) re remission of fines to municipalities, relettering former Subsec. (b) accordingly; P.A. 80-483 changed effective dates of P.A. 80-219 and P.A. 80-270 from October 1, 1980, and May 14, 1980, respectively, to July 1, 1980; P.A. 81-426 amended Subsec. (c) to permit the additional fees collected to be used to provide additional funds for state police training; P.A. 82-248 changed “such” to “the” and eliminated reference to repealed Secs. 14-267 and 14-268; P.A. 82-298 replaced references to Secs. 14-267 and 14-268 with reference to Sec. 14-267a in Subsec. (c); P.A. 82-359 amended Subsec. (b) to provide for the remission of amounts received from the violation of Sec. 14-253a concerning handicapped parking privileges; P.A. 83-518 amended Subsec. (c), providing that persons shall pay an additional fee of $1 for each $8, decreased from $10, and that such additional fee shall be assessed on the first $88 of the fine, instead of the first $90; P.A. 84-313 amended Subsec. (c)(2) by adding “or forfeiture”; P.A. 06-106 added Subsec. (d) re remission to municipalities of surcharge for certain violations and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2006; P.A. 06-152 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision re contributions made to Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund and making technical changes, effective July 1, 2006; P.A. 11-6 amended Subsec. (b) to provide for remission of amounts received from violation of Sec. 14-12(a)(2) and amended Subsec. (d) to increase additional fee from $10 to $15, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 11-255 added Subsec. (e) re disposition of fines received for violation of Sec. 14-279, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 16-54 amended Subsec. (d) by adding reference to Secs. 14-300 and 14-300d; P.A. 16-126 amended Subsecs. (c) and (d) by adding references to Secs. 14-227m and 14-227n; P.A. 16-207 amended Subsec. (b) to designate existing provision re remittance to municipalities of amounts received for violation of certain motor vehicles statutes, regulations or ordinances as Subdiv. (1) and to add Subdiv. (2) re remittance to municipalities of 50 per cent of fine amounts received from violation of Sec. 14-250b or ordinance enacted in accordance therewith; P.A. 17-105 made a technical change in Subsec. (b).