ENROLLED
2016 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 191
BY REPRESENTATIVE MAGEE
A RESOLUTION
To create the Clerk of Court Statewide Filing System Task Force to study and make
recommendations regarding the implementation and development of a universal
electronic filing system for civil pleadings throughout the state, and to provide for
a written report of its recommendation and findings no later than sixty days prior to
the 2017 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature.
WHEREAS, a statewide electronic filing system for civil pleadings promotes
standardization across Louisiana courts with as much consistency as can be expected in light
of the variety of civil cases adjudicated in Louisiana courts; and
WHEREAS, digital storage of electronic documents provides litigants, courts, and
the public with the additional benefit of instant access to court documents and greater
transparency in our judicial system; and
WHEREAS, a statewide electronic filing system will greatly reduce the amount of
paper produced, processed, and physically stored; and
WHEREAS, electronic filing improves access to the court system by providing
litigants with twenty-four hour access and a secure and standard means in which to file civil
pleadings; and
WHEREAS, electronic filing may reduce data entry costs and improve the quality,
consistency, and efficiency of the court filing process; and
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WHEREAS, digital storage of civil court documents may also increase productivity
and efficiency by allowing multiple users simultaneous access to a particular case file; and
WHEREAS, the use of electronic files in lieu of physical documents reduces the risk
of court documents being lost or destroyed in a catastrophic event; and
WHEREAS, it would be of great benefit to the Louisiana court system and the entire
state to implement an electronic filing system for civil pleadings.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
create the Clerk of Court Statewide Filing System Task Force to study and make
recommendations regarding the implementation and development of a universal electronic
filing system for civil pleadings throughout the state of Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this task force shall consist of ten members and
be composed of the following:
(1) The president of the Louisiana State Bar Association.
(2) The president of the Louisiana Association for Defense Counsel.
(3) The executive director of the Louisiana Association for Justice.
(4) The executive director of the Louisiana Clerks of Court Association.
(5) A clerk of court in a district with a population of over three hundred
thousand.
(6) A clerk of court in a district with a population of more than two hundred
thousand but less than three hundred thousand.
(7) A clerk of court in a district with a population of more than one hundred
thousand but less than two hundred thousand.
(8) A clerk of court in a district with a population of more than fifty thousand
but less than one hundred thousand.
(9) A clerk of court in a district with a population of less than fifty thousand.
(10) A clerk from a Louisiana Court of Appeal.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all appointments to the task force shall be made
within thirty days after adjournment of this legislature in the 2016 Regular Session.
Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments. The members of
the task force shall serve without compensation.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a majority of the membership of the task force
shall constitute a quorum and shall elect the chair of the task force at its first meeting. The
task force shall meet at the call of the chair or upon an affirmative vote of a majority of the
task force. All members must be notified in writing of all meetings at least five days before
the date on which a meeting of the task force is scheduled.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the chair shall call an initial meeting of the task
force no later than October 1, 2016, and hold meetings at the times and in the places it may
deem appropriate and necessary to fulfill its charge.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall meet no less than two times.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force may seek the advice of experts as
deemed appropriate by the membership of the task force.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall prepare and submit a final
report that contains a detailed statement of the findings and policy recommendations of the
task force to the president of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the
chairman of the House Committee on Civil Law and Procedure, the chairman of the House
Judiciary Committee, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary A, the chairman
of the Senate Committee on Judiciary B, and the chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme
Court not later than sixty days prior to the beginning of the 2017 Regular Session of the
Legislature of Louisiana and that such recommendations shall include but not be limited to
the following:
(1) A detailed conceptual model for a statewide electronic filing system for civil
pleadings in Louisiana courts.
(2) General guidelines on how best to proceed in creating and installing a statewide
system for electronic filing and service that supports all civil case types and levels of courts
in Louisiana.
(3) Particular implications or obstacles, if any, in implementing a statewide
electronic filing system for civil pleadings in Louisiana courts.
(4) Costs associated and best funding sources for the implementation of a universal
statewide electronic filing system in Louisiana courts.
(5) Legislation needed to implement a universal statewide electronic filing system
for civil pleadings in Louisiana courts.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall be abolished upon
submission of the report.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the
appointing entities named in this Resolution.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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