HB 538 — COURTS/JUVENILE: Provides relative to the judicial expense fund for the Juvenile Court for the parish of East Baton Rouge

HLSENROLLED 26RS-1101 ENGROSSED Regular Session HOUSE BILL NO.

538 BY REPRESENTATIVE FREIBERG COURTS/JUVENILE:AN ACT To amend and reenact R.S.

ProvidesrelativetothejudicialexpensefundfortheJuvenileCourt for the parish of East Baton Rouge AN ACT To amend and reenact R.S.

to increasetheincrease the civil filing fee;

In addition to allotherfeesorcostsnoworhereafterprovidedbylaw,the clerk of court of the Nineteenth Judicial District shall collect from every person filinganyaction,suit,ormotionandruletoshowcauseonthedocketoftheJuvenile CourtofEastBatonRougeParishandwhoisnototherwiseexemptedexemptbylaw from the payment of court costs, a sum to be determined by the chief judge of the court, but judges of the court, sitting en banc, which sum shall not to exceed fifteen seventy-fiveforty-five dollars, subject, however, to the provisions of Code of Civil Procedure Article 5181 et seq.;

and in all criminal nonsupport cases over which the court has jurisdiction,includingcontemptproceedingsprovidedforbyChildren'sCodeArticle 1353, there shall be taxed as costs against every defendant who is convicted after trial or after plea of guilty or who forfeits his bond, a sum likewise determined, but Page 1 of 3 CODING:

HLS 26RS-1101 ENGROSSED HB NO.

538 jurisdiction,includingcontemptproceedingsprovidedforbyChildren'sCodeArticleENROLLED 1353, there shall be taxed as costs against every defendant who is convicted after trial or after plea of guilty or who forfeits his bond, a sum likewise determined, but not to exceed ten dollars, which shall be in addition to all other fines, costs, or forfeitures lawfullyimposed,lawfully imposed, and which shall be transmitted to the clerk for further disposition in accordance herewith with this Section.

ThechiefThe chief judge The judges shall causeto be conducted annuallyan audit of the fund, and the books, and related accounts relating thereto and shall file the same a copyof the audit with the office of the legislative auditor, where it shall be available for public inspection.

Thechiefjudgejudges,enbancofthecourtJuvenileCourtThechiefjudgejudges,enbanc,ofthecourtJuvenileCourtofEastBaton ofEastBaton Rouge Parish, in lieu of all or any part of the fees for reporting and transcribing testimony authorized under pursuant to the provisions of R.S.

In general, the judicial expense fund is established and may be used for any purpose or purposes connected with, incidental to, or related to the proper administration or functions of Pagethe 2court, or of 3the CODING:officeofficesof the individual judge judges, and is in addition to anyandallotherfunds,salaries,expenses,orothermoniesauthorizedbylawforany of these purposes.

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HLS 26RS-1101 ENGROSSED HB NO.

538 theENROLLED court,D. or of the officeofficesof the individual judge judges, and is in addition to anyandallotherfunds,salaries,expenses,orothermoniesauthorizedbylawforany of these purposes.

D.

DIGESTSPEAKER ThedigestprintedbelowwaspreparedbyHouseLegislativeOF Services.THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA APPROVED:

ItPage constitutes3 nopart of the3 legislativeCODING: instrument.

The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent.

[R.S.

1:13(B) and 24:177(E)] HB 538 Engrossed 2026 Regular Session Freiberg Abstract:

Increases the maximum additional civil filing fee in the Juvenile Court of East Baton Rouge Parish from $15 to $75 and replaces the chief judge with the judges of the court, sitting en banc, for purposes of administering the judicial expense fund.

Present law requires the clerk of court for the 19th Judicial District to collect certain additionalcourtcostsincivil mattersfiledintheJuvenileCourt ofEastBatonRougeParish in an amount determined by the chief judge, not to exceed $15, and to collect certain additional costs in criminal nonsupport cases, not to exceed $10.

Present law provides for the deposit of such monies into a judicial expense fund for the JuvenileCourt, subjectto the control of the chief judge, and provides fortheuseandannual audit of the fund.

Proposed law retains present law but increases the maximum amount of the additional civil filing fee from $15 to $75 and replaces references to the chief judge with the judges of the court, sitting en banc, for purposes of determining the amount of fees, controlling and administering the judicial expense fund, and conducting the required annual audit.

Present law prohibits payment of judicial salaries from the fund.

Proposed law retains present law.

(Amends R.S.

13:1631) Page 3 of 3 CODING: