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HB 559LOUISIANASession 2026State BillBecame law without the governor's signature

Enacted

Louisiana House Bill 559 Raises Maximum Court Costs and Filing Fees in the Fourth Judicial District

Original title: COURTS/COURT COSTS: Increases court costs for the Fourth Judicial District (EN +$313,179 LF RV See Note)

Last action · June 23, 2026: Effective date: 08/01/2026.Sponsor: Adrian Fisher

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

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What This Bill Does

Louisiana House Bill 559 increases the maximum court costs and filing fees that can be assessed in civil suits and criminal convictions within the Fourth Judicial District from $15 to $35, effective August 1, 2026.

Why it matters

Litigants filing civil suits and defendants convicted of criminal offenses in the Fourth Judicial District will face higher mandatory court fees, which are deposited directly into the local .

Who It Affects

Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Civil litigants in the Fourth Judicial District

Civil litigants must pay higher maximum filing fees and proceeding costs to the clerk of court.

Directly affected

Criminal defendants in the Fourth Judicial District

Defendants convicted after trial, who plead guilty, or who forfeit bonds face increased court cost assessments.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the new maximum amount for civil filing fees under HB 559?

The maximum civil filing fee that can be assessed is increased from $15 to $35.

Who is required to pay these increased court costs?

Every person filing a civil suit or proceeding who is not otherwise exempted by law, and every defendant convicted of a criminal offense, who pleads guilty, or who forfeits a bond in the Fourth Judicial District.

When does this law take effect?

The law becomes effective on August 1, 2026.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

Current status: Became law without the governor's signature.

Procedural history

20 actions

Jun 23, 2026House
Becomes Act No. 919 without the Governor's signature.
Jun 23, 2026House
Effective date: 08/01/2026.
May 26, 2026House
Sent to the Governor for executive approval.
May 25, 2026House
Received from the Senate without amendments.
May 25, 2026HouseEnrolled
Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
May 25, 2026SenateEnrolled
Signed by the President of the Senate.

Show 14 earlier actions

May 21, 2026SenateFloor
Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 31 yeas and 5 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
May 13, 2026SenateFloor
Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
May 12, 2026SenateIntroduced
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
May 11, 2026SenateCommittee
Reported favorably.
Apr 20, 2026SenateCommittee
Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Apr 15, 2026HouseFloor
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 83, nays 13. The bill, having received two-thirds vote of the elected members, was finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
Apr 15, 2026Senate
Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
Apr 14, 2026House
Scheduled for floor debate on 04/15/2026.
Apr 13, 2026HouseFloor
Read by title, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
Apr 9, 2026HouseCommittee
Reported favorably (14-0).
Mar 9, 2026HouseIntroduced
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
Feb 27, 2026House
First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.
Feb 26, 2026House
Prefiled.
Feb 26, 2026HouseCommittee
Under 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.

Connected Entities

Fourth Judicial District Court, Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, Article 5181, Fourth Judicial District

OrganizationFourth Judicial District Court“Court district with jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases covered by the bi”Map →

otherLouisiana Code of Civil Procedure, Article 5181“Statutory reference governing exemptions from court costs.”Map →

locationFourth Judicial District“Jurisdiction affected by the court cost increases.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.legis.la.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance35
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy10
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz15
Current news / social attention level

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