HB 978 — INDIGENT DEFENSE: Changes the municipality threshold relative to the mandatory assessment and remittance of special costs to the district indigent defender fund
Last action — Becomes Act No. 930 without the Governor's signature.
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✓Introduced
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✓In Committee
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✓Passed House
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✓Passed Senate
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✓To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced March 17, 2026. Enacted.
Signed by Governor Jeff Landry (Republican) on June 23, 2026.
Odds of enactment
High chanceBased on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a high chance of becoming law.
Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.
A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.
Prognosis
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Enacted
Current position in the legislative process.
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1 sponsor
1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.
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Single-party support
Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 R).
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Cleared a recorded vote
Passed 2 recorded votes so far.
Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.
In plain language
The bill modifies the criteria for municipalities to assess costs for indigent defense.
This bill changes the municipality threshold related to how special costs are assessed and remitted to the district indigent defender fund. It aims to adjust the financial responsibilities of municipalities concerning indigent defense funding.
Bill Text
What changed in the latest version
9 added · 32 removedPlain-language change summary
The changes to HB 978 adjust the population threshold that determines which municipalities are required to pay special costs to the district indigent defender fund. Previously, this requirement applied to municipalities with populations under 5,000, but it has now been raised to under 9,000. This shift is significant because it increases the number of municipalities that must contribute to the fund, potentially providing more resources for legal defense for indigent individuals in those areas.
HLSENROLLED 26RS-1387 ENGROSSED Regular Session HOUSE BILL NO.
978 BY REPRESENTATIVE LACOMBE INDIGENTAN DEFENSE:ACT ToamendandreenactR.S.15:168(B)(1)(a),relativetothejudicialdistrictindigentdefender fund;
Changes the municipality threshold relative to the mandatory assessment and remittance of special costs to the district indigent defender fund AN ACT ToamendandreenactR.S.15:168(B)(1)(a),relativetothejudicialdistrictindigentdefender fund;
Judicial district indigent defender fund * * * B.(1)(a) EveryEverycourt court of original criminal jurisdiction, except in the town of Jonesville, in the cityof Plaquemine, and in mayors'mayors'courts courts in municipalities having a population of less than five nine thousand, shall remit the following special costs to the district indigentdefenderfundfortheindigent followingdefenderfund violations,for underthe statefollowingviolations, statuteunderstatestatute as well as under parish or municipal ordinance, except a parking violation.
* * * PageSPEAKER 1OF ofTHE 2HOUSE CODING:OF REPRESENTATIVES PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA APPROVED:
Wordsinstruckthroughtypearedeletionsfromexistinglaw;wordsunderscoredPage are1 additions.of 1 CODING:
HLS 26RS-1387 ENGROSSED HB NO.
978 DIGEST ThedigestprintedbelowwaspreparedbyHouseLegislative Services.
It constitutes nopart of the legislative 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 978 Engrossed 2026 Regular Session LaCombe Abstract:
Changes the municipality population threshold relative to the mandatory assessment and remittance of special costs to the district indigent defender fund.
Present law requires every court of original criminal jurisdiction, except the town of Jonesville,thecityof Plaquemine,andmayors'courtsin municipalities havingapopulation of less than 5,000, to remit special costs to the district indigent defender fund for certain violations, except parking violations.
Proposed law changes the municipality population threshold for the remittance of special costs from less than 5,000 to less than 9,000.
Otherwise retains present law.
(Amends R.S.
15:168(B)(1)(a)) Summary of Amendments Adopted by House The Committee Amendments Proposed by House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice to the original bill:
1.
Remove proposed law that creates an exception for the town of Addis.
2.
Change the required population threshold for municipalities to remit certain special costs to the district indigent defender fund from less than 5,000 to less than 9,000.
3.
Make technical changes.
Page 2 of 2 CODING:
View plain text versions (4)
- Enrolled HB978 Enrolled Current pdf
- Engrossed HB978 Engrossed pdf
- HB978 Act 930 View text pdf
- HB978 Original View text pdf
Amendments
2 amendments- House Committee Amendment, #4356, ACRJ, Adopted Adopted Show changes
- House Committee Amendment, #4051, ACRJ, Draft Show changes
Click Show changes on an amendment above to see how it modifies the bill.
Action History
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Becomes Act No. 930 without the Governor's signature.
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Effective date: 08/01/2026.
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Sent to the Governor for executive approval.
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Signed by the President of the Senate.
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Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
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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.
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Received from the Senate without amendments.
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Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
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Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
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Reported favorably.
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Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary B.
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Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 92, nays 2. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
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Received in the Senate. Rules suspended. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
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Read by title, amended, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
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Scheduled for floor debate on 04/29/2026.
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Reported with amendments (12-0).
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Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
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Read by title. Lies over under the rules.
Sponsors
- Jeremy LaCombe · Primary
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 146 not signed on · 1 voted No
Sponsors (1)
- Jeremy LaCombe Republican
Co-sponsors (0)
None.
Not signed on (146)
146 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 146 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | 26 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Democrat | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unaffiliated | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 35 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| % of votes cast | 90% | 0% | 0% | 10% |
How each member voted (39)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Mr. President | — | Not Voting |
| Edward J. Price | Democrat | Yea |
| Gary Carter | Democrat | Yea |
| Gerald Boudreaux | Democrat | Yea |
| Jay Luneau | Democrat | Yea |
| Jimmy Harris | Democrat | Yea |
| Katrina R. Jackson-Andrews | Democrat | Not Voting |
| Larry Selders | Democrat | Not Voting |
| Regina Barrow | Democrat | Yea |
| Royce Duplessis | Democrat | Yea |
| Sam Jenkins | Democrat | Yea |
| Sidney Barthelemy II | Democrat | Yea |
| Adam Bass | Republican | Yea |
| Alan Seabaugh | Republican | Yea |
| Beth Mizell | Republican | Yea |
| Blake Miguez | Republican | Yea |
| Bob Hensgens | Republican | Yea |
| Brach Jerad Myers | Republican | Yea |
| Caleb Kleinpeter | Republican | Yea |
| Eddie J. Lambert | Republican | Yea |
| Franklin J. Foil | Republican | Yea |
| Glen Womack | Republican | Yea |
| Gregory A. Miller | Republican | Yea |
| Heather Cloud | Republican | Yea |
| Jeremy Stine | Republican | Yea |
| John C. "Jay" Morris | Republican | Yea |
| Jr., William "Bill" Wheat | Republican | Yea |
| Kirk Talbot | Republican | Yea |
| Mark Abraham | Republican | Yea |
| Michael "Big Mike" Fesi | Republican | Yea |
| Mike Reese | Republican | Yea |
| Patrick Connick | Republican | Not Voting |
| Patrick McMath | Republican | Yea |
| Rick Edmonds | Republican | Yea |
| Robert "Bob" Owen | Republican | Yea |
| Robert Allain | Republican | Yea |
| Stewart Jr. Cathey | Republican | Yea |
| Thomas A. Pressly | Republican | Yea |
| Valarie Hodges | Republican | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Republican | 60 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Democrat | 28 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 92 | 2 | 0 | 11 |
| % of votes cast | 88% | 2% | 0% | 10% |
How each member voted (105)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Mr. Speaker | — | Yea |
| Galle | — | Yea |
| Stagni | — | Yea |
| Amedee | — | Nay |
| Johnson, T. | — | Not Voting |
| Landry, T. | — | Not Voting |
| St. Blanc | — | Yea |
| Adrian Fisher | Democrat | Yea |
| Aimee Adatto Freeman | Democrat | Yea |
| Alonzo L. Knox | Democrat | Yea |
| Barbara Carpenter | Democrat | Yea |
| C. Denise Marcelle | Democrat | Not Voting |
| Candace N. Newell | Democrat | Yea |
| Chasity Martinez | Democrat | Yea |
| Dana Henry | Democrat | Not Voting |
| Delisha Boyd | Democrat | Yea |
| Ed Murray | Democrat | Yea |
| Edmond Jordan | Democrat | Yea |
| Gerald Boudreaux | Democrat | Yea |
| III, Ed Larvadain | Democrat | Yea |
| Joy Walters | Democrat | Yea |
| Jr., Kyle M. Green | Democrat | Yea |
| Ken Brass | Democrat | Yea |
| Mandie Landry | Democrat | Yea |
| Marcus Anthony Bryant | Democrat | Yea |
| Pat Moore | Democrat | Yea |
| Rashid Armand Young | Democrat | Yea |
| Robby Carter | Democrat | Yea |
| Rodney Lyons | Democrat | Yea |
| Roy Daryl Adams | Democrat | Yea |
| Shaun Raphael Mena | Democrat | Yea |
| Sr., Wilford Carter | Democrat | Yea |
| Steven Jackson | Democrat | Yea |
| Sylvia Elaine Taylor | Democrat | Yea |
| Tammy T. Phelps | Democrat | Yea |
| Tehmi Jahi Chassion | Democrat | Yea |
| Vanessa Caston LaFleur | Democrat | Yea |
| Annie Spell | Republican | Yea |
| Barbara Reich Freiberg | Republican | Yea |
| Beth Anne Billings | Republican | Yea |
| Brett F. Geymann | Republican | Yea |
| Brian Leonard Glorioso | Republican | Yea |
| Bryan Fontenot | Republican | Yea |
| Chad Michael Boyer | Republican | Yea |
| Chance Keith Henry | Republican | Yea |
| Christopher Turner | Republican | Yea |
| Danny McCormick | Republican | Nay |
| Daryl Andrew Deshotel | Republican | Yea |
| Debbie Villio | Republican | Yea |
| Dixon Wallace McMakin | Republican | Yea |
| Dodie Horton | Republican | Yea |
| Emily Chenevert | Republican | Yea |
| Foy Bryan Gadberry | Republican | Yea |
| Francis C. Thompson | Republican | Not Voting |
| Gregory A. Miller | Republican | Yea |
| III, Roger William Wilder | Republican | Yea |
| III, Vincent E. Cox | Republican | Yea |
| IV, Gerald "Beau" Beaullieu | Republican | Yea |
| Jack McFarland | Republican | Yea |
| Jacob Braud | Republican | Yea |
| Jacob Jules Landry | Republican | Yea |
| Jason Brian DeWitt | Republican | Yea |
| Jeffrey "Jeff" Fons Wiley | Republican | Yea |
| Jeremy LaCombe | Republican | Yea |
| Jerome Zeringue | Republican | Yea |
| Jessica Domangue | Republican | Yea |
| John E. Wyble | Republican | Yea |
| Joseph A. Orgeron | Republican | Yea |
| Josh Carlson | Republican | Not Voting |
| Jr., Dennis Bamburg | Republican | Not Voting |
| Jr., John R. Illg | Republican | Yea |
| Jr., Michael Robert Bayham | Republican | Yea |
| Kathy Edmonston | Republican | Yea |
| Kellee Hennessy Dickerson | Republican | Yea |
| Kim Carver | Republican | Yea |
| Kimberly Landry Coates | Republican | Yea |
| Larry A. Bagley | Republican | Not Voting |
| Lauren Ventrella | Republican | Yea |
| Laurie Schlegel | Republican | Yea |
| Les Farnum | Republican | Not Voting |
| Mark Wright | Republican | Yea |
| Michael "Gabe" Firment | Republican | Yea |
| Michael Charles Echols | Republican | Not Voting |
| Michael Melerine | Republican | Yea |
| Mike Johnson | Republican | Yea |
| Neil Riser | Republican | Yea |
| Nicholas Muscarello | Republican | Yea |
| Paul Sawyer | Republican | Yea |
| Phillip Eric Tarver | Republican | Not Voting |
| Polly Thomas | Republican | Yea |
| R. Dewith Carrier | Republican | Yea |
| Raymond J. Crews | Republican | Yea |
| Reese "Skip" Broussard | Republican | Yea |
| Rhonda Gaye Butler | Republican | Yea |
| Robert "Bob" Owen | Republican | Yea |
| Rodney Schamerhorn | Republican | Yea |
| Ryan Bourriaque | Republican | Yea |
| Shane Mack | Republican | Yea |
| Sr., Peter F. Egan | Republican | Yea |
| Stephanie H. Berault | Republican | Yea |
| Stephanie Hilferty | Republican | Yea |
| Timothy P. Kerner | Republican | Yea |
| Tony Bacala | Republican | Yea |
| Troy Jude Hebert | Republican | Yea |
| Wayne McMahen | Republican | Yea |
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- Who sponsors HB 978?
- HB 978 is sponsored by Jeremy LaCombe (Republican).
- What is the current status of HB 978?
- This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced March 17, 2026. Enacted.
- Where can I track HB 978?
- Track HB 978 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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