COURTS/COURT COSTS: Increases court costs for the Fourth Judicial District (EN +$313,179 LF RV See Note)
Summary
HB 559 amends Louisiana law governing the judicial expense fund for the Fourth Judicial District by increasing the maximum court cost or filing fee that may be collected in that district. Under current law, the amount assessed in civil filings and certain criminal cases could not exceed $15; the bill raises that cap to $35, with the exact amount still to be set by the judges of the district sitting en banc. The change applies to civil suits and proceedings filed in the district, as well as to criminal cases in which a defendant is convicted, pleads guilty, or forfeits bond.
The bill is a local court-funding measure intended to increase revenue deposited into the Fourth Judicial District’s judicial expense fund. It does not create a new fee statewide, but instead amends the statute specific to that judicial district to allow higher assessments for court operations and related expenses. The fiscal note indicates a positive effect on local revenues, reflecting the expected increase in collections from litigants and criminal defendants in the district.
Impact
HB 559 directly amends R.S. 13:996.42(A), increasing the statutory ceiling on fees and costs collected by clerks of court in the Fourth Judicial District from $15 to $35 in both civil and criminal matters. This change expands the amount that may be deposited into the district’s judicial expense fund and therefore affects court users in that district rather than the state court system generally. The bill leaves discretion with the district judges to set the actual amount, so long as it does not exceed the new cap, and it continues to operate subject to existing provisions governing waiver or deferral of court costs.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been generally supported and moved through the Legislature successfully, passing the House by a wide margin of 78 yeas to 13 nays. Its final status as Act 919, becoming law without the Governor’s signature, suggests it was not highly controversial at the statewide level. The available record does not include committee debate, but the vote pattern indicates broad acceptance of the need to increase local court funding in the Fourth Judicial District.
Contention
The main point of potential contention is the increase in costs imposed on people using the courts, especially criminal defendants and civil litigants in the Fourth Judicial District. Opponents may view the higher cap as an added financial burden on individuals already facing court-related expenses, while supporters likely see it as a necessary way to fund judicial operations and local court administration. Because the bill is district-specific and tied to user fees rather than general taxation, any disagreement is focused on fairness and affordability of court access rather than on statewide policy.
Provides relative to court costs in suits involving the state and state agencies in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court. (2/3-CA7s2.1(A)) (8/1/25) (OR INCREASE GF EX See Note)
Requests the Senate Committee on Finance, or a subcommittee thereof, to study and make recommendations on court costs in suits involving the state and political subdivisions in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court. (EN SEE FISC NOTE GF EX)
Provides for the territorial jurisdiction and election districts of the justice of the peace courts and constables in Iberville Parish (EN SEE FISC NOTE LF EX)
Establishes an exception to suspension of retirement benefits for court reporters who are reemployed by judicial districts or parishes where a critical shortage exists. (gov sig) (EN INCREASE FC SG EX)