HLS 20RS-306 REENGROSSED
2020 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 304
BY REPRESENTATIVE ZERINGUE AND SENATORS CORTEZ AND WHITE
APPROPRIATIONS: Appropriates funds for the expenses of the judiciary for Fiscal Year
2020-2021
1 AN ACT
2To appropriate funds to defray the expenses of the Louisiana Judiciary, including the
3 Supreme Court, Courts of Appeal, District Courts, Criminal District Court of Orleans
4 Parish, and other courts; to provide for an effective date; and to provide for related
5 matters.
6Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1.A. The sum of One Hundred Eighty-Eight Million Seven Hundred
8Twenty-One Thousand Eight Hundred Seventeen No/100 ($188,721,817.00) Dollars, or so
9much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to defray the expenses of the
10judiciary, including the Supreme Court, Courts of Appeal, the District Courts, the Criminal
11District Court of Orleans Parish, and of the other courts.
12 B. The total amount herein appropriated is hereby allocated to provide as follows:
1303-8170 SUPREME COURT
14 Program Description: The Supreme Court has general supervisory jurisdiction over all lower courts.
15 It may establish procedural and administrative rules not in conflict with law and may assign a sitting or
16 retired judge to any court. The Supreme Court has sole authority to provide by rule for appointments of
17 attorneys as temporary or ad hoc judges. It considers applications for writs to review individual cases,
18 and has criminal and other appellate jurisdiction. The Supreme Court has exclusive original jurisdiction
19 of disciplinary proceedings against lawyers, recommendations of the Judiciary Commission of Louisiana
20 for the discipline of judges, and fact questions affecting its appellate jurisdiction. It has inherent authority
21 to regulate the legal profession and to promulgate and update the Code of Judicial Conduct. The court
22 also provides judicial training through the Judicial College and works to improve the administration of
23 justice.
24 Mission Statement: The mission of the Supreme Court of Louisiana is to protect and promote the rule
25 of law, to ensure public trust, to use public resources efficiently, to ensure the highest professional
26 conduct, integrity, and competence of both the bench and the bar, and to ensure the proper administration
27 and performance of all courts under its authority.
Page 1 of 15 HLS 20RS-306 REENGROSSED
HB NO. 304
1 Goal: To protect the rule of law.
2 Objective: To provide a reasonable opportunity for litigants to seek review in the Supreme Court of
3 decisions made by lower tribunals.
4 General Performance Information:
5 2017 2018 2019
6 Total Filings 2,181 2,117 2,096
7 Total Appeals Filed 4 6 5
8 Total Writs Filed 1,997 1,925 1,906
9 Total Dispositions Rendered 2,039 2,344 2,183
10 Goal: To promote the rule of law.
11 Objective: To resolve cases in a timely manner.
12 General Performance Information:
13 2017 2018 2019
14 Percentage of noncriminal case
15 applications acted on within Supreme
16 Court standard of 120 days of filing 88% 83.4% 89.8%
17 Percentage of criminal case applications
18 acted on within Supreme Court
19 standard of 120 days of filing 34.9% 34.1% 42.9%
20 Percentage of pro se post conviction
21 applications acted on within Supreme
22 Court standard of 120 days of filing 20.8% 23% 23.5%
23 Percentage of bar disciplinary filings
24 acted upon within Supreme Court
25 standard of 120 days of filing 89.3% 85% 97 %
26 Percentage of opinions rendered within
27 Supreme Court standard of 84 days
28 from argument 73.2% 74% 77.1%
29 Goal: To ensure the public trust.
30 Objective: To facilitate public access to Supreme Court decisions.
31 General Performance Information:
32 2017 2018 2019
33 Percentage of written opinions available
34 to the public within 5 days of decision 100% 100% 100%
35 Objective: To inform the public of operations and activities.
36 General Performance Information:
37 2017 2018 2019
38 Number of outreach programs 70 84 90
39 Number of media releases on court decisions 65 56 54
40 Number of media releases on other matters 18 20 18
41 Number of recipients of releases on
42 court decisions 1,932 2,054 2,153
43 Number of recipients of releases on other
44 matters 3,489 5,835 4,777
45 Objective: To ensure the highest professional conduct, integrity, and competence of the bench.
46 General Performance Information:
47 2017 2018 2019
48 Average number of hours acquired
49 through continuing legal education
50 per judge 29.03 29.47 25.13
51 Number of complaints filed against
52 judges and justices of the peace 533 543 417
53 Number of complaints against judges
54 and justices of the peace resolved or
55 disposed of in the calendar year 546 428 474
56 Objective: To ensure the highest professional conduct, integrity, and competence of the bar.
57 General Performance Information:
58 2017 2018 2019
59 Average number of hours acquired through
60 continuing legal education per lawyer 14.76 14.75 14.17
61 Number of complaints filed against lawyers 2,795 2,534 2,334
62 Number of complaints filed against lawyers
63 resolved or disposed of in calendar year3,096 2,692 2,446
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HB NO. 304
1Payable out of the State General Fund (Direct):
2 FY 20 EOB FY 21
3 01 Salaries of one (1) Chief Justice and
4 six (6) Associate Justices of the
5 Supreme Court, as provided by
6 R.S. 13:102 $ 1,155,208$ 1,185,978
7 02 Salaries and other expenses of the
8 Supreme Court Proper and salary of
9 the Crier of the Supreme Court$ 4,963,652$11,502,926
10 03 Expenses of Judicial Administrator's
11 Office and of the Judiciary
12 Commission provided for in Article V,
13 Section 25 of the Constitution of
14 Louisiana and under the provisions of
15 R.S. 13:32 et seq.
16 A. Expenses of Judicial
17 Administrator's Office $ 4,595,723$ 4,987,548
18 Program Description: The Judicial Administrator's Office assists the Supreme Court in the
19 administration of the state court system. It staffs the Judicial Council and the Judiciary Commission of
20 Louisiana. Through the Judicial Council, it performs studies and makes recommendations for the creation
21 of new judgeships and for improving the administration of justice. The Judicial Administrator's Office
22 provides payroll and other fiscal services to the Judiciary, including the administration of a judicial
23 retirement system; support for the Supreme Court and Appellate Court human resource system; and
24 support for judicial branch reporting obligations. The Judicial Administrator's Office also manages the
25 ad hoc judgeship system, monitors cases under advisement, provides support for initiatives to ensure
26 access to the courts for limited English proficiency individuals; provides outreach services to state and
27 local courts, applies for and administers grants to improve judicial administration; and staffs the
28 Committee on Judicial Ethics. The Judicial Administrator’s office administers several programs, including
29 the Supreme Court Drug Court / Specialty Court Office, the Louisiana Protective Order Registry, and
30 CASA and FINS through the Division of Children and Families. The Judicial Administrator’s office also
31 provides staff support for the Louisiana Judicial College, and performs numerous legal services for the
32 Supreme Court and the Judiciary.
33 B. Expenses of Judiciary Commission $ 1,853,140$ 2,079,002
34 Program Description: The Judiciary Commission of Louisiana is a constitutional body established under
35 Article V, Section 25 of the Constitution of 1974 to accept, screen, investigate, and prosecute complaints
36 of judicial misconduct. As part of its authority, it may recommend to the Supreme Court the censure,
37 suspension, removal from office, or involuntary retirement of any judge for ethical misconduct.
38 C. Court Reporters; Statistical
39 Reporting Systems $ 343,317$ 369,429
40 D. Dues to National Center for
41 State Courts $ 170,061$ 178,565
42 04 Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary
43 Board, as per Louisiana Supreme
44 Court Rule XIX $ 3,000$ 3,000
45 05 Compensation and expenses of retired
46 judges assigned under Article V,
47 Section 5(A) of the Constitution of
48 Louisiana, be it more or less
49 estimated at $ 1,126,948$ 1,245,129
50 06 Law Library of Louisiana for salaries,
51 services, supplies, maintenance, repairs,
52 and equipment $ 1,669,075$ 1,812,665
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HB NO. 304
1 Program Description: The Law Library of Louisiana serves the legal information needs of the state
2 judiciary, and is open to members of the bar and public.
3 07 Salaries and expenses of transferred
4 judges assigned under Article V,
5 Section 5(A) of the Constitution,
6 be it more or less estimated as $ 32,095$ 32,095
7 08 Retirement pay for services rendered by
8 justices and judges of all courts, as
9 provided by R.S. 11:1358 and
10 R.S. 13:103 $ 916,846$ 935,183
11 09 Pensions for widows of justices and
12 judges of all courts, as provided by
13 R.S. 11:1371 and R.S. 11:1381, be it
14 more or less estimated at $ 939,894$ 958,692
15 10 Judicial College $ 31,938$ 119,563
16 Program Description: The Judicial College was established by order of the Supreme Court in 1976 to
17 provide continuing legal education to Louisiana judges.
18 11 State contribution to judicial
19 retirement provided for in Article V,
20 Section 23 of the Constitution and
21 R.S. 11:551 et seq., be it more or
22 less estimated at $18,810,289$20,407,214
23 12 Civil commitment matters as
24 required by R.S. 28:54 $ 231,546$ 352,983
25 13 Paul M. Hebert Law Center for
26 expenses of storage of appellate
27 court records $ 60,000$ 60,000
28 14 Funding for statewide operations of the
29 Louisiana Protective Order Registry
30 (R.S. 46:2136.2) under the Case
31 Management Information System $ 1,012,320$ 1,299,782
32 15 Information Technology $ 1,069,760$ 1,332,214
33 16 Payable out of State General
34 Fund for Operational expenses of
35 the Families in Need of Services
36 Program (FINS) $ 1,927,296$ 2,325,393
37 Program Description: The mission of the FINS Assistance Program is to assist local FINS processes by
38 developing and implementing a needs-based allocation formula; developing, implementing, and mandating
39 the use of a uniform data system for tracking, managing, and reporting FINS informal cases; developing
40 and mandating the use of programmatic standards; developing, implementing, and reporting performance
41 indicators and measures; requiring and monitoring periodic fiscal reports and financial accountability;
42 and, generally supervising and assisting local FINS processes in other ways.
43
44 17 Louisiana Drug and Specialty Courts $ 9,240,844$10,860,417
45 Program Description: Louisiana Drug and Specialty Courts, such as Drug/DWI Treatment Courts,
46 authorized in 1977 by R.S. 13:5301-5304; Reentry Courts, authorized in 2010 by R.S. 13:5401; Mental
47 Health Courts, authorized in 2013 by R.S. 13:5353 - 5358; Swift and Certain Program, authorized by R.S.
48 13:5371; and Veterans Treatment Courts, authorized in 2014 by R.S. 13:5361 - 5368, are proven and
49 effective alternatives to traditional criminal justice interventions. These programs provide integrated
50 treatment for substance use and mental health disorders, including the appropriate use of sanctions and
51 incentives along with case management, to place participants in need of services into appropriate
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HB NO. 304
1 community-based and judicially supervised rehabilitation programs. Clients are regularly tested and
2 monitored for compliance with educational, employment, and treatment requirements pursuant to current
3 best practices and the proven national model.
4 18 Court Appointed Special Advocates$ 1,794,035$ 2,965,884
5 Program Description: The purpose of the CASA Assistance Program is to promote timely placement of
6 children in need of care in permanent, safe and stable homes, in accordance with the provisions of
7 Children's Code articles 424-426. Services are provided through local CASA programs which recruit,
8 screen, train and supervise community advocates. Upon appointment by the trial judge, qualified
9 advocates serve children by providing independent factual information to the judge, advocating for the best
10 interest of the children, monitoring cases to which they have been assigned, and advising and assisting the
11 judge in the determination of the best interest of the children involved.
12TOTAL - STATE GENERAL FUND (DIRECT)$51,946,987$ 65,013,662
13 19 Payable out of the State General Fund
14 from Statutory Dedications, Judges'
15 Supplemental Compensation Fund,
16 R.S. 13:10.3, be it more or less
17 estimated at $ 6,223,724$ 6,223,724
18 Program Description: The Judges' Supplemental Compensation Fund was established by the Legislature
19 in 1985 to fund salary supplements and salary-related expenses to judges and commissioners. The funding
20 source is a non-refundable filing fee assessed on civil filings as provided in R.S. 13:10.3.
21 20 Payable out of the State General
22 Fund from Statutory Dedications,
23 Trial Court Case Management
24 Information Fund, for the Case
25 Management Information System,
26 Article 887(F) of the Code of
27 Criminal Procedure, be it more or less
28 estimated at $ 4,017,201 $4,017,201
29 Program Description: The Case Management Information System (CMIS) was created by the Supreme
30 Court in 1993 to provide a statewide information system for tracking and managing criminal, civil,
31 juvenile, traffic, and appellate cases as well as protective orders. Data is received from courts statewide,
32 transferred to the CMIS repository, and made available to courts and executive branch agencies.
33 Additional information will also be available from the Department of Public Safety & Corrections. CMIS
34 is funded from a court cost assessed on all criminal and traffic convictions as provided under
35 C.Cr.P.887(F).
36TOTAL - STATE GENERAL FUND
37 BY STATUTORY DEDICATIONS $10,240,925$ 10,240,925
38 21 Drug court maintenance and
39 enhancement, payable out of the State
40 General Fund through Interagency
41 Transfers from the Department of
42 Children and Family Services $ 5,400,000$ 5,400,000
43 22 Court Appointed Special Advocates,
44 payable out of the State General Fund
45 through Interagency Transfers from the
46 Department of Children and Family
47 Services $ 3,992,850$ 3,992,850
48TOTAL- STATE GENERAL FUND THROUGH
49 INTERAGENCY TRANSF ERS $ 9,392,850$ 9,392,850
50
51TOTAL SUPREME COURT $71,580,762$ 84,647,437
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HB NO. 304
103-8171COURTS OF APPEAL
2 Program Description: The five courts of appeal, domiciled in Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Lake Charles,
3 New Orleans, and Gretna, have supervisory jurisdiction over all cases arising within their respective
4 circuits, subject to the general supervisory jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. Each court of appeal also
5 has appellate jurisdiction over all civil matters, all matters appealed from family and juvenile courts, and
6 all criminal cases triable by a jury which arise within its circuit, except for those cases appealable directly
7 to the Supreme Court or to the district courts.
8 Mission Statement: The mission of the appellate courts of Louisiana is to provide meaningful access to
9 all who seek review under the Courts' appellate and supervisory jurisdiction granted by the Louisiana
10 Constitution while protecting and promoting the rule of law, preserving the public trust, and using public
11 resources efficiently.
12 Goal: To protect the rule of law.
13 Objective: To provide a reasonable opportunity for multi-judge review of decisions made by lower
14 tribunals.
15 General Performance Information:
16 2017 2018 2019
17 Total appeals filed 1,897 1,827 1,702
18 Total writs filed 3,420 3,345 3,364
19 Total dispositions rendered 4,439 4,431 4,259
20 Goal: To promote the rule of law.
21 Objective: To resolve cases expeditiously.
22 General Performance Information:
23 2017 2018 2019
24 Average number of days from lodging of the
25 appeal to argument:
26 Time Standard = no more than 175 days.
27 Criminal cases 147 153 148
28 Civil Cases 162 148 153
29 Median number of days for all cases 159 149 152
30 Average number of days from argument to
31 rendering of the opinion:
32 Time Standard = no more than 70 days.
33 Criminal cases 43 44 44
34 Civil cases 44 44 48
35 Median number of days for all cases 44 44 45
36 Goal: To preserve public trust.
37 Objective: To facilitate public access to the decisions of the courts of appeal.
38 General Performance Information:
39 2017 2018 2019
40 Percentage of written opinions available
41 to the public within 5 days of decision 100% 100% 100%
42Payable out of the State General Fund (Direct):
43 FY 20 EOB FY 21
44 01 Salaries of five (5) Chief Judges
45 and forty-eight (48) Judges of
46 the Courts of Appeal, R.S. 13:311$ 8,124,978$ 8,342,412
47 02 Salaries and expenses of operation
48 and maintenance of the Court of
49 appeal, First Circuit $10,286,973$11,205,994
50 03 Salaries and expenses of operation
51 and maintenance of the Court of
52 appeal, Second Circuit $ 5,807,610$ 6,105,936
53 04 Salaries and expenses of operation
54 and maintenance of the Court of
55 appeal, Third Circuit $ 8,839,437$ 9,293,132
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HB NO. 304
1 05 Salaries and expenses of operation
2 and maintenance of the Court of
3 Appeal, Fourth Circuit $ 8,221,408$ 8,708,809
4 06 Salaries and expenses of operation
5 and maintenance of the Court of
6 Appeal, Fifth Circuit $ 6,019,956$ 6,353,132
7TOTAL COURTS OF APPEAL-
8 STATE GENERAL FUND (DIRECT) $47,300,362$ 50,009,415
903-8172DISTRICT COURTS - SALARIES AND OFFICE EXPENSES AS
10 REQUIRED BY STATUTE
11 Program Description: There are forty-one district courts in Louisiana that have general jurisdiction over
12 all matters within their territorial limits, except in those judicial districts (the 1st, the 19th, and the 24th
13 Judicial Districts) where family and juvenile courts have exclusive jurisdiction over certain types of cases
14 and except in Orleans Parish where there are separate courts exercising civil, criminal, and juvenile
15 jurisdictions. In certain cases, the forty-one general jurisdiction courts have concurrent jurisdiction with
16 justices of the peace and parish courts. The district courts generally have appellate jurisdiction of
17 criminal cases tried by city, parish, municipal, traffic, and mayors' courts, except in certain cases. The
18 district courts also have appellate jurisdiction over justices of the peace in parishes where no parish courts
19 exist. The Civil District Court of Orleans Parish has jurisdiction of all civil cases in that parish. The
20 Criminal District Court of Orleans Parish has jurisdiction over all criminal cases in that parish. It also
21 has general supervisory jurisdiction over the municipal and traffic court in Orleans Parish. The Family
22 Court of East Baton Rouge Parish has exclusive jurisdiction of many domestic cases in that parish. The
23 four juvenile courts located in Caddo, East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, and Orleans parishes have exclusive
24 jurisdiction of juvenile cases in their respective parishes.
25 Mission Statement: The mission of the trial courts of Louisiana is to provide access to justice, to meet
26 all responsibilities in a timely and expeditious manner, to provide equality, fairness, and integrity in their
27 proceedings, to maintain judicial independence and accountability, and to reach a fair and just result by
28 adherence to the procedural and substantive law, thereby instilling trust and confidence in the public.
29 Goal: To establish a more open and accessible system of justice.
30 Objective: To encourage responsible parties to make court facilities safe, accessible, and convenient.
31 General Performance Information:
32 2017 2018 2019
33 Percentage of surveyed district court chief
34 judges indicating actions taken in
35 FY 2018-2019 to improve compliance
36 with the Americans with Disabilities Act
37 (ADA) 83.3% 87.5% 87.5%
38 Objective: To encourage all responsible public bodies and public officers to make the
39 costs of access to the trial court's proceedings and records - whether measured in terms
40 of money, time, or the procedures that must be followed - reasonable, fair, and
41 affordable.
42 General Performance Information:
43 2017 2018 2019
44 Percentage of surveyed district court chief
45 judges indicating actions taken in
46 FY 2018-2019 to assist self-represented
47 litigants 85.4% 91.7% 93.8%
48 Goal: To meet all responsibilities to everyone affected by the court and its activities in
49 a timely and expeditious manner.
50 Objective: To encourage timely case management and processing.
51 General Performance Information:
52 2017 2018 2019
53 Number of parishes reporting criminal
54 disposition data to CMIS 64 64 64
55 Percentage of parishes reporting criminal
56 disposition data to CMIS 100% 100% 100%
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HB NO. 304
1 2017 2018 2019
2 Percentage of surveyed district court chief
3 judges indicating that their courts had
4 taken steps within FY 2018-2019 to reduce
5 delays and improve the timeliness
6 of case processing 93.8% 87.5% 93.8%
7 Objective: To enhance jury service.
8 General Performance Information:
9 2017 2018 2019
10 Percentage of surveyed district court chief
11 judges indicating that their court had
12 taken steps within FY 2018-2019 to
13 make jury service more convenient or
14 effective 92.9% 88.4% 88.4%
15 Goal: To provide due process and equal protection of the law to all who have business
16 before the court; and to demonstrate integrity in all procedures and decisions.
17 Objective: To recognize new conditions or emerging events and to adjust court
18 operations as necessary.
19 General Performance Information:
20 2017 2018 2019
21 Percentage of surveyed district court chief
22 judges indicating actions taken in
23 FY 2018-2019 to improve employee
24 training and development 87.5% 85.4% 91.7%
25 Percentage of surveyed district court chief
26 judges indicating actions taken in
27 FY 2018-2019 to install or implement
28 technologies 95.8% 95.8% 93.8%
29 Goal: To maintain judicial independence, while observing the principle of comity in
30 its governmental relations and accountability to the public.
31 Objective: To inform the community of the court's structure and function.
32 General Performance Information:
33 2017 2018 2019
34 Percentage of surveyed district court chief
35 judges indicating that their courts
36 regularly provided public education
37 and public outreach services in
38 FY 2018-2019 91.7% 89.6% 87.5%
39Payable out of the State General Fund (Direct):
40 FY 20 EOB FY 21
41 01 Salaries of one hundred ninety-one
42 (191) District Judges as provided
43 by R.S. 13:691 $ 27,918,847$28,668,386
44 02 Office and travel expenses of District
45 Judges as provided by R.S. 13:698
46 and R.S. 13:694, respectively $ 1,285,250$ 1,285,250
47 03 Salaries of fourteen (14) Judges of
48 Civil District Court, Orleans Parish,
49 as provided by R.S. 13:691 $ 2,046,408$ 2,101,348
50 04 Expenses of Judges of Civil District
51 Court, Parish of Orleans, for salaries
52 of stenographers, clerks, law books,
53 stationery, telephone, and like
54 expenses as provided by R.S. 13:698$ 80,500$ 80,500
55 05 Salaries of two (2) Court Reporters
56 of the Twentieth Judicial District Court,
57 including retirement contributions, as
58 provided by R.S. 13:966.1 $ 114,514$ 117,535
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HB NO. 304
1 06 Clerk of Civil District Court, Orleans
2 Parish, as provided by R.S. 13:1212(A)$ 10,000$ 10,000
3 07 State share of Group, Workers'
4 Compensation, General Liability, and
5 Property Insurance Premiums as
6 provided by R.S. 42:851 $ 6,541,846$ 6,950,507
7 08 Salaries of two (2) commissioners of
8 the Nineteenth Judicial District and
9 one (1) commissioner of the Fifteenth
10 Judicial District as provided by
11 R.S. 13:712 and R.S. 13:715,
12 respectively $ 584,653$ 610,546
13 09 Office expenses for the Judicial
14 Expense Fund of the Nineteenth Judicial
15 District Court as provided by
16 R.S. 13:711-713 $ 400,707$ 413,728
17 10 Office expenses for the Judicial
18 Expense Fund of the Fifteenth
19 Judicial District Court as provided
20 by R.S. 13:714-716 $ 286,234$ 292,616
21 11 Law Clerk, Twentieth Judicial District
22 Court as provided by Act 747 of 1977$ 49,311$ 49,311
23 12 For the expenses of the Judicial Expense
24 Fund, Tenth Judicial District Court as
25 provided by Act 57 of 2006 $ 35,000$ 35,000
26 SUBTOTAL $39,353,270$40,614,727
27 13 Criminal Court - Parish of Orleans
28 Program Description: The Criminal District Court for the Parish of Orleans has exclusive jurisdiction
29 of the trial and punishment of all crimes, misdemeanors, and offenses committed within the parish of
30 Orleans, if the jurisdiction is not vested by law in some other court. The court, through its magistrate and
31 with assistance from its commissioners, has the power of committing magistrates in all felony charges and
32 the power to hold preliminary examinations, with authority to bail or discharge, or to hold for trial, in all
33 cases before the court. The court has appellate jurisdiction of all cases tried before the Municipal and
34 Traffic Court of New Orleans and has general supervisory jurisdiction over these courts.
35 A.Salaries of thirteen (13) District
36 Judges of Criminal Court, Orleans
37 Parish as provided by R.S. 13:691$ 1,900,237$ 1,951,251
38 B.Office expenses of Judges of
39 Criminal Court, Orleans Parish as
40 Provided by R.S. 13:698 $ 74,750$ 74,750
41 C.State's share of group insurance
42 for personnel of Criminal Court
43 as provided by R.S. 42:851 $ 694,766$ 729,504
44 D.Salaries of thirteen (13) minute
45 clerks as provided by R.S.
46 13:1373.1 $ 288,064$ 293,811
47
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HB NO. 304
1 E.Salaries of twenty-six (26) court
2 reporters as provided by R.S.
3 13:1373.1 $ 449,821$ 456,097
4 F.Salaries of four (4) commissioners
5 of Criminal Court, Orleans Parish,
6 including related benefits as
7 provided by R.S. 13:1347 $ 515,703$ 534,781
8 G.Office and travel expenses of
9 commissioners as provided by
10 R.S. 13:1347 $ 7,950$ 10,600
11 H.Salaries of four (4) minute clerks,
12 one for each commissioner
13 as provided by R.S. 13:1347 $ 75,372$ 76,845
14 I.Salaries of four (4) court reporters,
15 one for each commissioner
16 as provided by R.S. 13:1347 $ 57,312$ 58,422
17 J.Salaries of Judicial Administrator,
18 and assistants, including
19 related benefits $ 910,443$ 1,002,268
20 K.Salaries of thirteen (13) law clerks$ 695,417$ 775,026
21 L.Salaries of four (4) secretaries $ 204,258$ 229,942
22 M.Sanity Commissions $ 87,744$ 89,595
23 N.Board of Jury Commissioners $ 391,859$ 424,869
24 SUBTOTAL $ 6,353,696$ 6,707,761
25 14 Juvenile and Family Court Judges
26 A.Salaries of thirteen (13) Juvenile
27 Court Judges as provided by
28 R.S. 13:691 $ 1,900,237$ 1,951,251
29 B.Salaries of four (4) Family Court
30 Judges as provided by R.S. 13:691$ 584,688$ 600,385
31 C.Office and travel expenses of Juvenile
32 and Family Court Judges as
33 provided by R.S. 13:698 and
34 R.S. 13:694, respectively $ 103,500$ 97,750
35 SUBTOTAL $ 2,588,425$ 2,649,386
36 TOTAL DISTRICT COURTS - SALARIES
37 AND OFFICE EXPENSES AS REQUIRED
38 BY STATUTE- STATE GENERAL FUND
39 (DIRECT) $48,295,391$49,971,874
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HB NO. 304
103-8173OTHER COURTS - SALARIES AND OFFICE EXPENSES AS
2 REQUIRED BY STATUTE
3 Program Description: The category includes forty-seven city courts, one municipal and traffic court
4 (New Orleans), and one parish court (Ascension Parish).
5 Mission Statement: The mission of the city and parish courts of Louisiana is to provide access to justice,
6 to meet all responsibilities in a timely and expeditious manner, to provide equality, fairness and integrity
7 in their proceedings, to maintain judicial independence and accountability, and to reach a fair and just
8 result by adherence to the procedural and substantive law, thereby instilling trust and confidence in the
9 public.
10 Goal: To establish a more open and accessible system of justice.
11 Objective: To encourage all responsible public bodies and public officers to make the costs of access to
12 the court's proceedings and records - whether measured in terms of money, time, or the procedures that
13 must be followed - reasonable, fair, and affordable.
14 General Performance Information:
15 2017 2018 2019
16 Percentage of surveyed city/parish court
17 chief judges indicating actions taken
18 in FY 2018-2019 to assist
19 pro se litigants 98.1% 94.1% 98%
20 Goal: To meet all responsibilities to everyone affected by the court and its activities in
21 a timely and expeditious manner.
22 Objective: To encourage timely case management and processing.
23 General Performance Information:
24 2017 2018 2019
25 Percentage of surveyed city/parish court
26 chief judges indicating that their
27 courts had taken steps within
28 FY 2018-2019 to reduce delays
29 and improve the timeliness of
30 case processing 90.4% 82.4% 80.4%
31 Goal: To maintain judicial independence, while observing the principle of comity in
32 its governmental relations and accountability to the public.
33 Objective: To inform the community of the court's structure and function.
34 General Performance Information:
35 2017 2018 2019
36 Percentage of surveyed city/parish court
37 chief judges indicating that their
38 courts regularly provided public
39 education and public outreach
40 services in FY 2018-2019 88.5% 78.4% 86.3%
41 Objective: To recognize new conditions or emerging events and to adjust court
42 operations as necessary.
43 General Performance Information:
44 2017 2018 2019
45 Percentage of surveyed city/parish court
46 chief judges indicating actions taken
47 in FY 2018-2019 to improve employee
48 training and development 92.3% 78.4% 86.3%
49 Percentage of surveyed city/parish court
50 chief judges indicating actions taken
51 in FY 2018-2019 to install or
52 implement technologies 90.4% 78.4% 88.2%
53Payable out of the State General Fund (Direct):
54 FY 20 EOB FY 21
55 01Salaries of sixty (60) City Court
56 Judges as provided by R.S. 13:1875 $ 2,831,732$ 2,907,760
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1 02Salaries of seven (7) Municipal and
2 Traffic and one (1) Parish Court
3 Judge as provided by R.S. 13:2492,
4 2501.1 and 2563.5, respectively $ 410,432$ 421,450
5 TOTAL OTHER COURTS REQUIRED
6 BY STATUTE- STATE GENERAL FUND
7 (DIRECT) $ 3,242,164$ 3,329,210
803-8174OTHER COURTS - SALARIES AND OFFICE EXPENSES NOT
9 REQUIRED BY STATUTE
10Payable out of the State General Fund (Direct):
11 FY 20 EOB FY 21
12 01Orleans Parish Juvenile Protective
13 Care Monitoring Program $ 536,132$ 610,805
14 Program Description: The program tracks and maintains child abuse and neglect cases in the Orleans
15 Parish Juvenile Court. It also provides assistance in support of the Families in Need of Services Program.
16 02 Orleans Parish Juvenile Court
17 Reporters $ 77,178$ 89,893
18 03 For the expenses of the Judges'
19 Assistance Program $ 61,877$ 63,183
20 Program Description: The Judges' Assistance Program provides counseling and other assistance to
21 judges with substance abuse problems.
22 TOTAL OTHER COURTS NOT REQUIRED
23 BY STATUTE- STATE GENERAL FUND
24 (DIRECT) $ 675,187$ 763,881
25 Section 2. The appropriations, and the allocations of such appropriations, from the
26State General Fund (Direct) contained in Section 1 of this Act shall be reduced by a total
27amount of Seventeen Million Thirty-One Thousand Seventy and No/100 ($17,031,070)
28Dollars, pursuant to a plan adopted by the Judicial Budgetary Control Board or as approved
29by the Louisiana Supreme Court.
30 Section 3. In addition to the funds appropriated in this Act, an amount equal to Four
31Million and No/100 ($4,000,000) Dollars is hereby appropriated payable out of the State
32General Fund through Interagency Transfers from the Governor's Office of Homeland
33Security and Emergency Preparedness to the Judicial Control Board for eligible expenses
34related to COVID-19 response efforts.
35 Section 4.A. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, or her duly authorized and
36appointed agent, shall warrant the state treasurer for the allocations herein provided, or for
37so much thereof as may be necessary. The aforesaid warrant shall be paid out of the state
38general fund, and the state treasurer shall pay said warrant by preference over all other
39warrants, except warrants for the salaries of constitutional officers of the state and warrants
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1for expenses of the legislature, which shall be concurrent with the warrant provided by this
2Act.
3 B. The funds drawn as provided herein shall be deposited in the name of the
4judiciary in an approved bank that has been selected by the Supreme Court and is located in
5the state.
6 C. Any funds herein allocated to the judiciary, any portion of the funds previously
7appropriated to the judiciary, other revenue of the judiciary or its agencies, and interest
8earnings are hereby appropriated and may be used to defray the expenses of the judiciary;
9however, all funds remaining unexpended or unencumbered shall be returnable to the State
10General Fund on or before September 1, 2021.
11 D. For Fiscal Year 2020-2021, any surpluses occurring in the appropriations made
12in this Act may be transferred from one agency or line-item to another during the fiscal year
13in accordance with the rules of the Judicial Budgetary Control Board, or as approved by the
14Supreme Court.
15 E. The adjustment to be made in the salaries of judicial employees and the number
16of authorized positions of the judiciary shall be as decided by the judicial agency affected,
17subject to the approval of the Judicial Budgetary Control Board, or as approved by the
18Supreme Court.
19 F. The program descriptions, general performance information and indicators,
20objectives, goals, and mission statements contained in this Act are not part of the law and
21are not enacted into law by virtue of their inclusion in this Act. The missions, goals, and
22objectives contained in the Act are derived from performance standards established by
23Section 10 of Part G, General Administrative Rules of the Supreme Court of Louisiana.
24 G. The inclusion in this Act of staff salaries and benefits for lower court or other
25judicial branch agency employees shall not be deemed to create or impose any obligation
26upon the State of Louisiana Judicial Branch, the Supreme Court of Louisiana, the Judicial
27Budgetary Control Board, or the Supreme Court Judicial Administrator's Office relative to
28the administration of pay, retirement or other benefits to any such employees. Accordingly,
29the State of Louisiana Judicial Branch, the Supreme Court of Louisiana, the Judicial
30Budgetary Control Board, and the Supreme Court Judicial Administrator's Office are not to
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1be considered the "employer" or "employing agency" of lower court or other judicial agency
2employees whose staff salaries and other benefits are included in this Act.
3 H. In the event sufficient new State General Fund (Direct) revenues become
4available and are recognized by the Revenue Estimating Conference, the first Three Million
5One Hundred Thousand and No/100 ($3,100,000) Dollars shall be payable to the Judicial
6Budgetary Control Board to fund the judicial pay raises enacted through Act 178 of the 2019
7Regular Legislative Session.
8 Section 5. This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2020; if vetoed by the
9governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become effective on
10July 1, 2020, or on the day following such approval by the legislature, whichever is later.
COMPARATIVE STATEMENT
In accordance with R.S. 39:51(D), the following represents a comparative statement for each
Court and program. The existing operating budget for FY 2019-2020 is compared to the
appropriations for FY 2020-2021 as contained in the original bill.
Existing
Operating Budget Appropriation Request
Courts and Programs FY 2019-2020 FY 2020-2021
By Expenditure:
Supreme Court $71,580,762 $84,647,437
Courts of Appeal $47,300,362 $50,009,415
District Courts $48,295,391 $ 49,971,874
Other Courts $3,242,164 $ 3,329,210
Other Programs $675,187 $ 763,881
Total Funding $ 171,093,866 $188,721,817
By Means of Finance:
Total General Fund (Direct)$ 151,460,091 $169,088,042
Total Interagency Transfer$ 9,392,850 $9,392,850
Total Statutory Dedications$10,240,925 $10,240,925
Total Funding $171,093,866 $188,721,817
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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 304 Reengrossed 2020 Regular Session Zeringue
Abstract: Appropriates funds for FY 2020-2021 for expenses of the Louisiana
Judiciary, including the supreme court, courts of appeal, district courts, Criminal
Court of Orleans Parish, juvenile and family courts, and other courts.
Appropriates funds for Fiscal Year 2020-2021 for the ordinary operating expenses of the
judicial branch of government with total funding of $188,721,817 from the following
sources: $169,088,042 out of the State General Fund (Direct); $9,392,850 out of
Interagency Transfers; and $10,240,925 from statutory dedications out of the Judges'
Supplemental Compensation Fund and the Trial Court Case Management Fund.
Appropriations from State General Fund (Direct) shall be reduced by $17,031,070 and
Interagency Transfers shall be increased by $4,000,000 from the Governor's Office of
Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness for expenditures related to COVID-19
response efforts pursuant to a plan adopted by the Judicial Budgetary Control Board or as
approved by the Louisiana Supreme Court.
Funding for the ordinary operating expenses of the judicial branch of government is
provided as follows:
FY 20 EOB FY 21
(1)Louisiana Supreme Court $71,580,762 $84,647,437
(2)Courts of Appeal 47,300,362 50,009,415
(3) District Courts 39,353,270 40,614,727
(4) Criminal Court, Parish of Orleans6,353,696 6,707,761
(5) Juvenile and Family Courts 2,588,425 2,649,386
(6)Other Courts (Required by Statute) 3,242,164 3,329,210
(7)Other Courts (Not Required by Statute)675,187 763,881
TOTAL $171,093,866 $188,721,817
Effective July 1, 2020
Summary of Amendments Adopted by House
The Committee Amendments Proposed by House Committee on Appropriations to
the original bill:
1. Add requirement that appropriations from State General Funds (Direct)
contained in this Act be reduced by a total amount of $17,031,070 pursuant to
a plan adopted by the Judicial Budgetary Control Board or as approved by the
Louisiana Supreme Court.
2. Provide an appropriation of $4,000,000 out of Interagency Transfers from the
Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness for
expenses related to the COVID-19 response efforts.
The House Floor Amendments to the engrossed bill:
1. Appropriates the first $3,100,000 for Judicial pay raises should additional
State General Fund (Direct) be recognized by the Revenue Estimating
Conference.
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