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Read. Follow. Verify.Louisiana House Bill 279 Raises Misdemeanor Jury Trial Fine Threshold to $2,500
Last action · March 9, 2026: Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.Sponsor: Peter Egan
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What This Bill Proposed
Louisiana House Bill 279 raises the monetary fine threshold required to trigger a six-person jury trial for s from $1,000 to $2,500. The change applies both prospectively and retroactively to all pending cases upon the act's effective date.
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.
Defendants charged with misdemeanors
Louisiana state courts
Key Facts
- Raises the monetary fine threshold required for a misdemeanor jury trial from $1,000 to $2,500.
- Maintains the requirement that defendants facing potential imprisonment of more than six months are entitled to a six-person jury.
- Applies both prospectively and retroactively to all cases pending on the effective date of the Act.
- Requires a unanimous verdict from all six jurors when a jury trial is held.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the new fine threshold for a misdemeanor jury trial in Louisiana?
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News Coverage
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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 Administration of Criminal Justice.
- Feb 27, 2026HouseFirst appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.
- Feb 23, 2026HousePrefiled.
- Feb 23, 2026HouseCommitteeUnder the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
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 45)
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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