Sec. 1. 4 MRSA §173, sub-§4-A, ¶¶A and B, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 750, Pt. A, §2, are amended to read:

A. The court shall reimburse the municipality or county that employs the law enforcement officer a flat fee of $25 $50 for each day or part of a day that a law enforcement officer is physically present for a scheduled trial in District Court, whether or not the officer is called upon to give testimony.

B. The court shall pay a municipality or county a flat fee of $25 $50 for each day or part of a day that a municipal or county law enforcement officer, designated by the municipality or county as its court officer, is physically present in a District Court in order to adequately handle that municipality's or county's case load.

The court officer required to be present at an arraignment may be an officer other than the arresting officer if the municipality or county has designated the officer to handle the arraignment case load of that municipality or county. In addition, one or more municipalities may designate either a municipal law enforcement officer or a county law enforcement officer to represent the municipalities at arraignments.

SUMMARY

This bill increases the reimbursement fee paid to a municipality by the court for each day a law enforcement officer is physically present for a scheduled trial in District Court from $25 a day to $50 a day.