INDIGENT DEFENSE: Changes the municipality threshold relative to the mandatory assessment and remittance of special costs to the district indigent defender fund

Taxes

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Jeremy LaCombe
Last action: 2026-05-28
Official status: Sent to Governor
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Changing Rules for Funding Indigent Defense

This bill changes the population requirement for smaller towns and cities to contribute money to a fund that helps poor people pay for legal defense.

What This Bill Does

Changes the rule about which small towns and cities must send money to help poor defendants with legal costs.
Sets a new population limit of less than nine thousand people for mayors' courts not required to send special costs to the indigent defender fund.

Who It Names or Affects

Courts in small municipalities with populations under nine thousand people
Poor defendants who need legal help

Terms To Know

Indigent Defender Fund: A fund that helps poor people pay for lawyers when they are accused of crimes.
Mayors' Courts: Local courts in small towns or cities where the mayor often serves as a judge.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify what happens if the Governor vetoes it.
It is unclear how this change will affect specific municipalities with populations close to nine thousand people.

Amendments

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

House Committee Amendment #4356 ACRJ Adopted

Adopted

Plain English: HCAHB978 4274 4356 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice to Original House Bill No.

HCAHB978 4274 4356 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice to Original House Bill No.
978 by Representative LaCombe 1 AMENDMENT NO.
1 2 On page 1, line 3, change "in favor of the town of Addis" to "for municipalities with certain 3 populations" 4 AMENDMENT NO.
2 5 On page 1, line 9, delete "in the town of" and at the beginning of line 10, delete "Addis," 6 AMENDMENT NO.

House Committee Amendment #4051 ACRJ Draft

Draft

Plain English: HCAHB978 4274 4051 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice to Original House Bill No.

HCAHB978 4274 4051 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice to Original House Bill No.
978 by Representative LaCombe 1 AMENDMENT NO.
1 2 On page 1, line 3, change "in favor of the town of Addis" to "for municipalities with certain 3 populations" 4 AMENDMENT NO.
2 5 On page 1, line 9, delete "in the town of" and at the beginning of line 10, delete "Addis," 6 AMENDMENT NO.

Bill History

2026-05-28 H
Sent to the Governor for executive approval.
2026-05-27 H
Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
2026-05-27 S
Signed by the President of the Senate.
2026-05-26 H
Received from the Senate without amendments.
2026-05-26 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.
2026-05-20 S
Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
2026-05-19 S
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
2026-05-18 S
Reported favorably.
2026-05-04 S
Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary B.
2026-04-29 S
Received in the Senate. Rules suspended. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
2026-04-29 H
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 92, nays 2. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
2026-04-27 H
Scheduled for floor debate on 04/29/2026.
2026-04-27 H
Read by title, amended, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
2026-04-23 H
Reported with amendments (12-0).
2026-03-18 H
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
2026-03-17 H
Read by title. Lies over under the rules.

Official Summary Text

INDIGENT DEFENSE: Changes the municipality threshold relative to the mandatory assessment and remittance of special costs to the district indigent defender fund

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

ENROLLED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 978
BY REPRESENTATIVE LACOMBE
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 15:168(B)(1)(a), relative to the judicial district indigent defender
3 fund; to provide an exception for municipalities with certain populations; and to
4 provide for related matters.
5 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
6 Section 1. R.S. 15:168(B)(1)(a) is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
7 §168. Judicial district indigent defender fund
8 * * *
9 B.(1)(a) Every court of original criminal jurisdiction, except in the town of
10 Jonesville, in the city of Plaquemine, and in mayors' courts in municipalities having
11 a population of less than five nine thousand, shall remit the following special costs
12 to the district indigent defender fund for the following violations, under state statute
13 as well as under parish or municipal ordinance, except a parking violation. Except
14 as provided in Subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph, the sum of forty-five dollars shall
15 be assessed in cases in which a defendant is convicted after a trial, a plea of guilty
16 or nolo contendere, or after forfeiting bond and shall be in addition to all other fines,
17 costs, or forfeitures imposed.
18 * * *
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
Page 1 of 1
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.