The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Louisiana House Bill 371 requires the attorney general to defend state officials and state laws and funds private counsel if representation is declined
Last action · March 9, 2026: Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Judiciary.Sponsor: Edmond Jordan
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Proposed
Louisiana House Bill 371 establishes a mandatory duty for the attorney general to provide free legal representation to state elected officials and defend the constitutionality of all state legislative acts. If the attorney general declines representation, the affected official or the legislature may retain private counsel at state expense.
State-funded legal defense becomes guaranteed for elected officials facing official-capacity lawsuits or challenges to legislative acts, with state treasuries covering private attorney fees if the attorney general steps down from the case.
- The Louisiana Attorney General serves as the chief legal officer representing the state, state agencies, and elected officials in legal proceedings. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
duly elected officials of this state
State and local elected officials receive mandatory, free legal representation for official acts and the right to state-funded private counsel if the attorney general declines.
attorney general
The office is required to represent state officials, defend legislative acts, issue formal written declinations when refusing cases, publish rate schedules, and coordinate with private counsel.
legislature
Legislative presiding officers receive mandatory notifications of legal challenges to statutes, can authorize alternative private counsel, and retain intervention rights.
commissioner of administration
Must receive written notices identifying retained private counsel to authorize payments from the state treasury.
Key Facts
- The attorney general must provide free legal representation to any duly elected official of the state, including legislators, statewide officers, and local elected officials, when named in civil, administrative, or quasi-judicial proceedings arising from official duties.
- Mandatory representation includes filing dispositive motions, asserting immunities, managing all phases of litigation and appeals, and providing legal advice to avoid personal liability.
- The attorney general's duty to represent excludes criminal proceedings, civil actions alleging acts outside official duties or for personal gain, and matters involving a nonwaivable conflict of interest.
- Officials seeking representation must submit a written request, and the attorney general must respond in writing within 15 business days confirming representation or explaining a declination.
Show all 11 facts
- The attorney general must defend the constitutionality and validity of every act enacted by the Louisiana Legislature in state or federal court.
- Upon receiving a challenge to a legislative act, the attorney general must notify the speaker of the House, the president of the Senate, and the Legislative Bureau within five business days.
- If the attorney general declines to represent an official or defend a legislative act, a detailed written statement of declination must be issued within specified deadlines and filed with the legislative auditor and the governor.
- When representation is declined, the affected official or the legislature may retain private legal counsel, with the state responsible for the cost.
- Alternative counsel compensation cannot exceed the highest rates approved by the attorney general in contracts for similar legal work during the preceding 24 months, and the office must publish this rate schedule quarterly.
- Aggrieved officials or the legislature may seek judicial review of a declination in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court through a summary proceeding.
- The provisions apply to all pending and future legal proceedings in which a request or challenge is before the attorney general on or after the effective date.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the attorney general required to represent an elected official?
What happens if the attorney general declines to defend a state law or represent an official?
How are the fees for private alternative counsel determined and capped?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
4 actions- Mar 9, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
- Feb 27, 2026HouseFirst appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.
- Feb 24, 2026HousePrefiled.
- Feb 24, 2026HouseCommitteeUnder the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.la.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools