Appropriates funds for the expenses of the judiciary for Fiscal Year 2025-2026
HB 647 is the annual appropriations bill for the Louisiana Judiciary for Fiscal Year 2025-2026. It provides funding for the Supreme Court, Courts of Appeal, district courts, Orleans Parish criminal and civil courts, city and parish courts, and several judicial support programs. The bill sets out line-item appropriations for judicial salaries, court operations, retirement and pension obligations, court reporters, law library services, judicial training, case management systems, protective order registry operations, and specialized programs such as drug and specialty courts, CASA, and Families in Need of Services (FINS).
The bill also includes several budget-management provisions. It authorizes the Chief Justice or designee to draw warrants on the State Treasury for the appropriated funds, requires unspent funds to be returned to the State General Fund by September 1, 2025, and allows transfers among line items under Judicial Budgetary Control Board rules or Supreme Court approval. It further states that program descriptions are not enacted into law and clarifies that inclusion of salaries and benefits for lower court employees does not make the Supreme Court or Judicial Branch the employer of those employees. In addition, the act appropriates $6 million from the Modernization and Security Fund for Supreme Court technology and security upgrades, including courtroom audio-video equipment, fencing, IT infrastructure replacement, courthouse security projects, and possible public portal access for the Protective Order Registry if related legislation becomes law.
HB 647 increases and reallocates funding for Louisiana’s judicial branch for FY 2025-2026, raising total expenditures to $215,091,329. It affects appropriations across multiple judicial entities and programs, with the largest shares going to the Supreme Court, Courts of Appeal, district courts, and judicial support functions. The bill also adjusts financing by reducing some State General Fund direct appropriations by $11,873,382, adding $540,000 for CASA and FINS, and adding $6 million in statutory dedication funding for modernization and security improvements. It does not change substantive court jurisdiction statutes, but it does govern how judiciary funds are administered, transferred, and returned, and it preserves existing statutory references for salaries, retirement, and court program funding.
The overall sentiment around HB 647 appears strongly favorable and noncontroversial. It passed the House 97-0, the Senate 39-0, and the House concurrence vote 101-0, indicating broad bipartisan support for funding the judiciary. The absence of committee transcript material suggests there was little recorded public dispute in the available materials, and the unanimous votes point to general agreement on the need to fund core court operations and targeted upgrades.
There is little visible contention in the available record. The only potentially sensitive issues are the size and distribution of judicial funding, the use of State General Fund dollars versus statutory dedications, and the $6 million modernization/security appropriation for the Supreme Court, including security fencing and IT infrastructure. Another possible point of interest is the bill’s clarification that lower court employees are not considered employees of the Supreme Court or Judicial Branch for pay and benefits administration purposes, but no opposition is reflected in the votes or transcripts provided.