Provides relative to filings in civil and criminal courts
Summary
HB 310 revises Louisiana’s civil and criminal filing rules to require that attorney-filed pleadings and other filings be submitted either in person on paper or electronically through a clerk-established system or the Louisiana Clerks’ Remote Access Authority. The bill applies beginning January 1, 2026, and makes electronically filed documents the official record in courts that accept e-filing. It also sets the filing date and time based on the electronic confirmation generated by the system, if the filing is accepted by the clerk.
The bill adds privacy and formatting safeguards for filings by prohibiting inclusion of sensitive personal information such as the first five digits of Social Security numbers, tax identification numbers, state ID numbers, driver’s license numbers, financial account numbers, and full dates of birth, unless otherwise protected by law. It also preserves paper filing for certain original documents that must remain in original form, including wills, authentic acts or instruments, default-judgment motions that do not require a hearing, and other documents required to be original to support or defend a claim.
Impact
HB 310 amends Code of Civil Procedure Article 253 and Code of Criminal Procedure Article 14.1, updating statewide filing procedures for civil and criminal cases. It expands and standardizes electronic filing authority, clarifies that the electronic record is the official record in participating courts, and imposes confidentiality requirements on filers and clerks. The bill also creates explicit exceptions allowing certain original documents to be filed in paper form, preserving existing evidentiary and procedural requirements for those materials.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the House and Senate with unanimous votes at each recorded stage, including final passage, rejection of Senate amendments, adoption of a conference report, and final adoption. The voting history suggests strong bipartisan agreement on modernizing court filing procedures and protecting sensitive information.
Contention
No significant opposition is reflected in the available record. The only potentially notable issue is the balance between expanding electronic filing and preserving paper filing for original documents that must remain in original form, but the bill’s unanimous votes indicate that any such concerns were resolved without recorded dissent. The conference process also suggests some technical or procedural adjustments, though no specific dispute is documented in the provided materials.