'New' $45 court fee to return

I got a call from the city side of the Deathstar, telling me that state lawmakers just signed off on a bill that would let Knox County collect a court fee that could provide a ton of coin to the Knoxville Family Justice Center.

Back in mid-April I wrote about the problem. Click right smack here for the masterpiece.

Anyhoo, to sum it up:

Commissioners in June 2008 approved a resolution that lets the county - under Tennessee law - tack on a $45 "victims' assistance assessment" fee to most offenders convicted of crimes where the minimum punishment is at least $500.

Of that, $42 would go to a victim assistance program - in this case the Knoxville Family Justice Center, which provides victims of domestic violence access to advocacy and other services. The remaining $3 would go to Criminal Court Clerk Joy McCroskey's office for processing and handling costs.

The problem, however, is that the assessment fee is subject to a portion of state law that Knox County doesn't follow, in part, because it operates under a charter form of government.

The county, some officials say, can't honor the commission resolution.

The state's move today, however, should clear all this up.

In theory, anyway.