(1)
(a) Any contract for court reporting services, not related to a particular case or reporting incident, is prohibited between a court reporter or any other person with whom a court reporter has a principal and agency relationship and any attorney, party to an action, or party having a financial interest in an action.
(b) Negotiating or bidding reasonable fees, equal to all the parties, on a case-by-case basis is not prohibited.
(2) A certified court reporter is an officer of the court, authorized to administer oaths, whose impartiality shall remain beyond question.
(3) This section does not apply to the courts or the administrative tribunals of this state.
(4) Violation of this section shall be considered unprofessional conduct as provided in Section 58-74-102 and 58-74-502, and shall be grounds for revocation of state certification only.