Assembly OK's more court fees to drug courts

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) -- People going through Nevada's court system would have to pay an extra $5 in fees to help fund the state's specialty courts, under a bill approved Wednesday by the Assembly.

The increase included in AB29 would go directly to fund the state's specialty courts, such as drug and mental health courts. It also would help expand specialty courts, which have been lauded for keeping people out of jail and in treatment programs they need.

The $5 fee would generate an estimated $2.5 million annually.

Washoe County District Judge Peter Breen told the Assembly Ways and Means Committee previously that the increased funding is essential to maintain evolving court programs.

"This is for the future, not for the now," Breen said.

Breen also said that since their inception, specialty courts have saved the state money by diverting about 4,000 people from its prison system. He said just 20 percent of program graduates re-offend, compared with an 80 percent rate for people who don't go through the program.

AB29 also increases administrative assessments by $10 to go directly to the Administrative Office of the Courts, the administrative arm of the Nevada Supreme Court.

More than a third of the high court's funding comes from those assessments, but the collections have shrunk and are down 17 percent during the current fiscal year, according to Supreme Court Chief Justice Deborah Agosti.

Agosti said the drop is related to a shift in police personnel from patrol to security since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The bill now moves to the Senate for its consideration.

The Assembly also took final action on SB73, a bill increasing the pay rates for jurors and altering the law on who can serve on juries.

Currently, people summoned for jury duty get a check for $9 for each day they're at the court. If they're selected to serve on a jury, they're paid $15 for the first five days of service and $30 for each day after the fifth.

SB73 would remove the $9 pay for being summoned, but pay people $40 for each day after the first day they're in attendance for jury selection. It would also make jurors eligible for a blanket rate of $40 for each day they serve.

Jurors and prospective jurors would also be compensated for travel expenses at a rate of 36.5 cents per mile if they drive more than 65 miles to the courthouse. That's up from 20 cents per mile.

The bill also strips away the current list of people exempted from jury service. That list includes elected officials, police officers, prosecutors, attorneys, doctors and correctional employees, among others.