HLS 19RS-288 ENGROSSED
2019 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 39
BY REPRESENTATIVE MCFARLAND
Prefiled pursuant to Article III, Section 2(A)(4)(b)(i) of the Constitution of Louisiana.
WITNESSES/FEES: Provides relative to surplus witness fees of off-duty law enforcement
officers
1 AN ACT
2To enact R.S. 15:255(V), relative to costs of courts; to provide relative to witness fees for
3 off-duty law enforcement officers; to authorize the transfer of certain witness fee
4 surplus funds within the Eighth Judicial District; to provide for the transfer
5 procedures and use of funds; and to provide for related matters.
6Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. R.S. 15:255(V) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
8 ยง255. Witness fees to off-duty law enforcement officers
9 * * *
10 V. In the Eighth Judicial District, all surplus monies in the special fund in
11 that district at the end of each calendar year which exceeds five thousand dollars
12 shall be transmitted by the governing authority of Winn Parish to the criminal court
13 fund of the Eighth Judicial District Court. As used in this Subsection, "special fund"
14 means the special fund provided for in Subsection D of this Section, and "surplus
15 monies" means the amount of money which is in each special fund at the end of each
16 calendar year and which is in excess of the total amount paid from each special fund
17 as witness fees for off-duty law enforcement officers in that calendar year. The
18 surplus monies which are required to be transferred by this Subsection may be used
19 for any purpose for which the other monies in the criminal court fund of the Eighth
20 Judicial District Court may be used. No money obligated to be paid to any officer
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 19RS-288 ENGROSSED
HB NO. 39
1 or agency for an off-duty law enforcement court appearance shall be considered
2 surplus monies pursuant to this Subsection.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
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 39 Engrossed 2019 Regular Session McFarland
Abstract: Requires any surplus witness fees collected by the 8th Judicial District which
exceeds $5,000 to be transferred to the criminal court fund.
Present law provides for witness fees for off-duty law enforcement officers to be paid from
the costs of court collected in individual cases tried in district or parish courts. The judge
or judges of court for the judicial district shall adopt a schedule of costs to be applicable in
each case before that court to which such costs are applicable. The costs shall be placed in
special funds to be maintained by the proper governing authorities and used to pay witness
fees.
Proposed law requires surplus money in excess of $5,000 in the special account in the 8th
Judicial District to be transferred to the criminal court fund. The transferred money may be
used for any purpose for which the other monies in the criminal court fund for the 8th
Judicial District may be used.
(Adds R.S. 15:255(V))
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.