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Read. Follow. Verify.Louisiana Updates Arrest Warrant Notice Requirements and Bail Forfeiture Deadlines
Last action · June 2, 2026: Effective date: 08/01/2026.Sponsor: Chasity Martinez
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What This Bill Does
Act 672 revises Louisiana bail procedures by requiring clerks of court to send arrest warrant notices to commercial sureties and bail agents within sixty days of a defendant's failure to appear, while establishing a strict five-year deadline for filing bond forfeiture judgments.
Commercial sureties, bail agents, and defendants face strict procedural timelines and notice rules that determine when bond obligations are released or when bond forfeiture judgments can be sought.
- Louisiana House Bill 772 modifies provisions related to bail, warrant notices, and bond forfeiture procedures within the state's criminal justice system. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
commercial sureties and bail agents
Commercial sureties and bail agents must receive arrest warrant notices within sixty days through specific electronic or certified mail methods, and failures by the court release them from obligations.
defendants and personal sureties
Defendants and personal sureties must provide valid mailing addresses, electronic mail addresses, and social security number digits for service purposes.
prosecuting attorneys
Prosecuting attorneys must file rules to show cause for bond forfeitures within a strict five-year peremptive period after notice of warrant is sent.
Key Facts
- The clerk of court must deliver notice of an arrest warrant to the bail agent and commercial surety via electronic means or certified mail within sixty days of a defendant's failure to appear.
- Failure to send notice of the bench warrant to the commercial surety and bail agent within sixty days releases the surety of all obligations under the bail undertaking.
- The prosecuting attorney may file a rule to show cause requesting a bond forfeiture judgment within five years after the notice of warrant for arrest is sent.
- For warrants issued prior to August 1, 2024, the rule to show cause requesting a bond forfeiture must be filed no later than August 1, 2028.
Show all 7 facts
- Upon conviction in any case, the bail undertaking ceases and the surety is relieved of all obligations by operation of law without needing to file a motion.
- Code of Criminal Procedure Article 334 is repealed in its entirety.
- A bond forfeiture judgment shall not be denied or set aside because of the invalidity of the information required by Article 329 or for failure to include it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if the clerk of court fails to notify the commercial surety within 60 days?
What is the deadline for filing a rule to show cause for bond forfeiture on warrants issued before August 1, 2024?
Does a conviction automatically relieve a surety of bail obligations?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
26 actions- Jun 2, 2026HouseEnrolledSigned by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 672.
- Jun 2, 2026HouseEffective date: 08/01/2026.
- May 28, 2026HouseSent to the Governor for executive approval.
- May 27, 2026HouseEnrolledEnrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
- May 27, 2026SenateEnrolledSigned by the President of the Senate.
- May 26, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, roll called, yeas 99, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.
Show 20 earlier actions
- May 25, 2026HouseScheduled for concurrence on 05/26/2026.
- May 19, 2026HouseReceived from the Senate with amendments.
- May 18, 2026SenateFloorRules suspended. Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 34 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
- May 7, 2026SenateFloorReported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
- May 6, 2026SenateIntroducedRead by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
- May 5, 2026SenateCommitteeRules suspended. Reported favorably.
- Apr 29, 2026SenateCommitteeRead second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary C.
- Apr 28, 2026SenateReceived in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
- Apr 27, 2026HouseCalled from the calendar.
- Apr 27, 2026HouseFloorRead third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 97, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
- Apr 22, 2026HouseNotice given.
- Apr 22, 2026HouseScheduled for floor debate on 04/27/2026.
- Apr 21, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, returned to the calendar.
- Apr 20, 2026HouseScheduled for floor debate on 04/21/2026.
- Apr 15, 2026HouseFloorRead by title, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
- Apr 14, 2026HouseCommitteeReported favorably (10-0).
- Mar 9, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
- Feb 27, 2026HousePrefiled.
- Feb 27, 2026HouseCommitteeUnder the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
- Feb 27, 2026HouseFirst appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.
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
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Strict Timeline Enforcement for Bail Forfeitures
The legislation introduces a rigid five-year peremptive period for filing rules to show cause for bond forfeiture, replacing general prescriptive rules.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.la.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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