Louisiana legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Louisiana HB978: INDIGENT DEFENSE: Changes the municipality threshold relative to the mandatory assessment and remittance of special costs to the district indigent defender fund
Status: Chaptered, June 23, 2026
What the bill says
An act To amend and reenact R.S. 15:168(B)(1)(a), relative to the judicial district indigent defender fund; to provide an exception in favor of the town of Addis; and to provide for related matters.
From the introduced text:
AN ACT To amend and reenact R.S. 15:168(B)(1)(a), relative to the judicial district indigent defender fund; to provide an exception in favor of the town of Addis; and to provide for related matters. Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana: Section 1. R.S. 15:168(B)(1)(a) is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows: §168. Judicial district indigent defender fund * * * B.(1)(a) Every court of original criminal jurisdiction, except in the town of Addis, in the town of Jonesville, in the city of Plaquemine, and in mayors' courts in municipalities having a population of less than five thousand, shall remit the following special costs to the district indigent defender fund for the following violations, under state statute as well as under parish or municipal ordinance, except a parking violation. Except as provided in Subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph, the sum of forty-five dollars shall be assessed in cases in which a defendant is convicted after a trial, a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, or after forfeiting bond and shall be in addition to all other fines, costs, or forfeitures imposed. * * * Page 1 of CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions. HLS 26RS-1387 ORIGINAL HB NO. DIGEST The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. …
Sponsors
- LaCombe, Jeremy (R, 18) · primary sponsor
Latest actions
- : Effective date: 08/01/2026.
- : Becomes Act No. 930 without the Governor's signature.
- : Sent to the Governor for executive approval.
- : Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
- : Signed by the President of the Senate.
- : Received from the Senate without amendments.
- : 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.
- : Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
- : Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
- : Reported favorably.
Votes
- Senate Vote on HB 978, FINAL PASSAGE (#1282) (May 26, 2026): 35 yea, 0 nay, passed
- House Vote on HB 978, FINAL PASSAGE (#827) (April 29, 2026): 92 yea, 2 nay, passed
Common questions
- What is HB978?
- HB978 is a bill in the Louisiana Legislature (2026 Regular Session): INDIGENT DEFENSE: Changes the municipality threshold relative to the mandatory assessment and remittance of special costs to the district indigent defender fund.
- What does HB978 do?
- In its own words: An act To amend and reenact R.S. 15:168(B)(1)(a), relative to the judicial district indigent defender fund; to provide an exception in favor of the town of Addis; and to provide for related matters.
- What is the status of HB978?
- Chaptered as of June 23, 2026. Latest action: Effective date: 08/01/2026. (June 23, 2026).
- Who sponsored HB978?
- LaCombe, Jeremy (R, 18).
- Where is the official record for HB978?
- On the Louisiana Legislature website: https://legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?s=26RS&b=HB978
Source: official Louisiana record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.