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 155 Original 2025 Regular Session Muscarello
Abstract: Provides for a statewide revision of court reporter fees in order to provide for a uniform
fee schedule for all judicial district courts.
Present law provides that in all civil and criminal cases a fee not to exceed $1.50 per 31-line page
and $.25 per copy reported and transcribed shall be charged by and be paid to the court reporter who
reported and transcribed the testimony.
Present law provides for varying court reporter fees for each of the judicial district courts:
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th,
25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 32nd, 33rd, 34th, 35th, 36th, 37th, 38th, 39th.
Proposed law repeals present law and provides for a uniform court reporter fee schedule for all
judicial district courts by providing that the fee not exceed $5 per 31- or 32-line page transcript and
up to $2 per page per certified copy reported and transcribed. Proposed law further provides that fees
may be set up to the statutory amount by a majority of the judges.
Proposed law provides that in all criminal indigent cases a fee not to exceed $3.50 per 31- or 32-line
page transcript and $1 per page per certified copy reported and transcribed shall be charged by and
paid to the court reporter who reported and transcribed the testimony. Proposed law further provides
that fees may be set up to the statutory amount by a majority of the judges.
Proposed law provides that the fees shall be retained by the court reporter as compensation, in
addition to the salary as provided in present law, and shall be taxed as costs of the case in which such
testimony is taken.
Proposed law provides that no fee shall be assessed or collected when providing an electronic copy
of a previously transcribed transcript.
Proposed law provides that a salaried court reporter shall not, in any civil or criminal case,
charge a sitting fee.
Proposed law provides that when an expedited transcript is requested, the following expedited fees
may be charged:
(1)For transcription within 24 hours, a court reporter may charge two times the allowable per
page rate set pursuant to proposed law. (2)For transcription within 48 hours, a court reporter may charge an additional $3 per page over
the allowable per page rate set pursuant to proposed law.
(3)For transcription within five days, a court reporter may charge an additional $1 per page over
the allowable per page rate set pursuant to proposed law.
Present law (Acts 2017, No. 126; Acts 2018, No. 447; Acts 2020, No. 232; and Acts 2023, No. 52
and No. 228) provides for varying proposed fee increases for various judicial district courts, and each
such increase is contingent upon approval by the Judicial Council, which has not been granted.
Proposed law repeals present law.
(Amends R.S. 13:961(F)(1), 962(H), 963(I)(1), 964(H), 964.1(B), 966(A) and (C), 967(C)(1), 969(G)
and (I), 970(L), 971(B)(1)(a), (2), and (7) and (C)(1)(a) and (2), 972(D)(1), 975(B), 976(C),
978(H)(1)(a), 979(H), and 980(D)(1); Repeals R.S. 13:970(K), Act No. 126 of the 2017 R.S., Act
No. 232 of the 2020 R.S., Act Nos. 52 and 228 of the 2023 R.S., and the provisions of Act No. 447
of the 2018 R.S. enacting R.S. 13:961(F)(1)(v))