HB519 • 2026

COURTS: Provides relative to the appointment of a special master by a trial court

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Mike Johnson
Last action: 2026-05-22
Official status: Signed by the Governor - Act 303
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on compensation for special masters, which was mentioned in the candidate explanation.

Rules for Special Masters in Complex Court Cases

This act sets rules for the appointment of special masters by trial courts in complex cases with multiple lawsuits that share common facts, requiring compliance with ethical standards and specific guidelines.

What This Bill Does

Adds a new section (G) to Louisiana Revised Statute 13:4165, which deals with the appointment of special masters in court cases.
Requires any special master appointed for complex cases with shared facts to follow ethical rules and specific federal guidelines.
Ensures that special masters must comply with certain provisions already outlined in Subsection F.

Who It Names or Affects

Trial courts
Special masters appointed for complex court cases

Terms To Know

special master: A person appointed by a judge to help manage and oversee specific parts of a legal case.
complex causes of action: Legal cases that involve many issues or are very complicated, often involving multiple lawsuits with similar facts.

Limits and Unknowns

The act only applies to complex cases designated by the Louisiana Supreme Court.
It does not specify how special masters will be compensated.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

House Committee Amendment #3413 JUD Adopted

Adopted

Plain English: HCAHB519 4872 3413 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Judiciary to Original House Bill No.

HCAHB519 4872 3413 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Judiciary to Original House Bill No.
519 by Representative Mike Johnson 1 AMENDMENT NO.
1 2 On page 1, at the beginning of line 18, after "Section." insert the following: 3 "Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the provisions of this 4 Subsection apply to those complex cases designated or approved under rules adopted 5 for this purpose by the Louisiana Supreme Court with all appointments under this 6 Subsection complying with those rules and the ethical requirements of this 7 Subsection." Page 1 of 1 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions.

House Committee Amendment #3300 JUD Draft

Draft

Plain English: HCAHB519 4872 3300 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Judiciary to Original House Bill No.

HCAHB519 4872 3300 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Judiciary to Original House Bill No.
519 by Representative Mike Johnson 1 AMENDMENT NO.
1 2 On page 1, at the beginning of line 18, after "Section." insert the following: 3 "Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the provisions of this 4 Subsection shall apply to those complex cases designated or approved under rules 5 adopted for this purpose by the supreme court with all appointments under this 6 Subsection complying with those rules and the ethical requirements of this 7 Subsection." Page 1 of 1 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions.

Bill History

2026-05-22 H
Effective date: 08/01/2026.
2026-05-22 H
Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 303.
2026-05-19 H
Sent to the Governor for executive approval.
2026-05-19 S
Signed by the President of the Senate.
2026-05-19 H
Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
2026-05-19 H
Received from the Senate without amendments.
2026-05-18 S
Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 35 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
2026-05-07 S
Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
2026-05-06 S
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
2026-05-05 S
Rules suspended. Reported favorably.
2026-04-20 S
Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary A.
2026-04-15 S
Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
2026-04-15 H
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 95, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
2026-04-14 H
Scheduled for floor debate on 04/15/2026.
2026-04-13 H
Read by title, amended, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
2026-04-09 H
Reported with amendments (13-0).
2026-03-09 H
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
2026-02-27 H
First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.
2026-02-26 H
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
2026-02-26 H
Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

COURTS: Provides relative to the appointment of a special master by a trial court

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

ENROLLED
ACT No. 3032026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 519
BY REPRESENTATIVE MIKE JOHNSON
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 13:4165(G), relative to the appointment of a special master; to provide for the
3 application of the code of judicial conduct to special masters; and to provide for
4 related matters.
5 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
6 Section 1. R.S. 13:4165(G) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
7 §4165. Special masters; appointment; duties and powers; compensation; code of
8 judicial conduct
9 * * *
10 G. For complex causes of action with multiple cases sharing common
11 questions of fact, when consolidated pursuant to an order or rules adopted by the
12 supreme court, any appointment of a special master by a trial court pursuant to this
13 Section shall comply with the ethical requirements of the Code of Judicial Conduct
14 as applicable and the requirements of Fed. Civ. R. 53 as to the appointment and
15 disqualification of a master, except to the extent those requirements are specifically
16 inconsistent with state law. Any appointment as described in this Subsection shall
17 also be subject to the provisions of Paragraphs (2) and (6) of Subsection F of this
18 Section. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the provisions of this
19 Subsection apply to those complex cases designated or approved under rules adopted
20 for this purpose by the Louisiana Supreme Court with all appointments under this
Page 1 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 519 ENROLLED
1 Subsection complying with those rules and the ethical requirements of this
2 Subsection.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
Page 2 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.