This amendment raises the maximum civil filing fee in East Baton Rouge Juvenile Court from $15 to $45 and changes who decides how much money is collected.
Louisiana2026Enacted
HB538
Changes to the East Baton Rouge Juvenile Court Expense Fund
Last scannedAug 25, 2026, 3:26 AM
In one sentence
This law updates how money is collected, managed, and spent in a special fund for the Juvenile Court in East Baton Rouge Parish.
What it does
- Increases the maximum civil filing fee from fifteen dollars to forty-five dollars for people who file cases or motions.
- Sets a limit of ten dollars on costs charged against defendants convicted in criminal nonsupport cases.
- Requires all judges sitting together, rather than just the chief judge, to control and manage the fund's spending.
- Allows the court to use the fund to pay salaries for reporters, clerks, researchers, and other staff members.
- Permits the purchase of equipment, supplies, and law library materials using money from this specific fund.
- Requires an annual audit of the fund that must be filed with the legislative auditor for public viewing.
Who it affects
- People who file civil cases or motions in the East Baton Rouge Juvenile Court.
- Defendants convicted in criminal nonsupport proceedings within this court.
- The judges, clerks, reporters, and other staff working for the Nineteenth Judicial District Juvenile Court.
Limits and unknowns
- The exact amount of the civil filing fee is set by the judges and can be any number up to forty-five dollars.
- This law does not allow money from this specific fund to be used for paying judge salaries.
- The new rules will only take effect on August 1, 2026.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Judicial expense fund
- A separate bank account created to hold money collected from court fees for specific court expenses.
- Sitting en banc
- When all the judges of a court meet together as a group to make decisions or manage duties.
- Criminal nonsupport cases
- Legal proceedings involving people who fail to provide financial support required by law, often related to child support.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
COURTS/JUVENILE: Provides relative to the judicial expense fund for the Juvenile Court for the parish of East Baton Rouge
Official activity
Bill history
- Effective date: 08/01/2026.H
- Becomes Act No. 928 without the Governor's signature.H
- Sent to the Governor for executive approval.H
- Signed by the President of the Senate.S
- Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.H
- Read by title, roll called, yeas 93, nays 4. The Senate amendments, having received two-thirds vote of the elected members, were concurred in.H
- Scheduled for concurrence on 05/26/2026.H
- Received from the Senate with amendments.H
- Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 32 yeas and 1 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.S
- Rules suspended. Called from the Calendar.S
- Reconsidered. Read by title; returned to the Calendar, subject to call.S
- Notice of reconsideration on the next legislative day.S
- Read by title. Failed to pass by a vote of 17 yeas and 18 nays.S
- Rules suspended.S
- Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.S
- Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.S
- Rules suspended. Reported favorably.S
- Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary A.S
- Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.S
- Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 83, nays 12. The bill, having received two-thirds vote of the elected members, was finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.H
Changes
Amendments
3 stored
This amendment records that the House voted to agree with changes made by the Senate to a bill about funding for the East Baton Rouge Juvenile Court.
This amendment changes a specific number in House Bill No. 538 from seventy-five to forty-five.