Section 17-15-10. Fund created; administration; moneys; payments authorized

   (a) There is created a fund to be known as the Georgia Crime Victims Emergency Fund. The custodian of the fund shall be the board. The director shall administer the fund and may invest the resources of the fund in the same manner and fashion that an insurer authorized to issue contracts of life insurance is authorized to invest its resources. The board is specifically authorized to contract with any person or organization, public or private, to administer the fund, assume the powers of the director, and carry out the duties of the board relating to the fund.

(b) (1) The fund shall consist of all moneys received pursuant to Article 7 of Chapter 21 of Title 15 from the assessment of additional penalties in cases involving a violation of Code Section 40-6-391, relating to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or a violation of an ordinance of a political subdivision of this state which has adopted by reference Code Section 40-6-391 pursuant to Article 14 of Chapter 6 of Title 40.

   (2) The funds placed in the fund shall also consist of all moneys appropriated by the General Assembly, if any, for the purpose of compensating claimants under this chapter and money recovered on behalf of the state pursuant to this chapter by subrogation or other action, recovered by court order, received from the federal government, received from additional court costs, received from specific tax proceeds allocated to the fund, received from other assessments or fines, or received from any other public or private source pursuant to this chapter.

(c) All funds appropriated to or otherwise paid into the fund shall be presumptively concluded to have been committed to the purpose for which they have been appropriated or paid and shall not lapse.

(d) The board is authorized, subject to the limitations contained in this chapter, to pay the appropriate compensation to the persons eligible for compensation under this chapter from the proceeds of the Georgia Crime Victims Emergency Fund.

(e) After determining that an award should be paid and the method of payment, the board or director, within five days, shall be authorized to draw a warrant or warrants upon the Georgia Crime Victims Emergency Fund to pay the amount of the award from such fund.

Code 1981, § 17-15-10, enacted by Ga. L. 1988, p. 591, § 1; Ga. L. 1992, p. 1836, § 2; Ga. L. 1993, p. 91, § 17.