The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Louisiana House Bill 527 revises statewide court reporter fees and transcript rates
Last action · April 1, 2026: Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 68, nays 29. The bill, not having received two-thirds vote of the elected members, failed to pass.Sponsor: Nicholas Muscarello
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Proposed
Louisiana House Service Bill 527 proposes a uniform statewide court reporter fee schedule, raising civil and non- criminal transcript caps to $6 per 32-line page and indigent criminal cases to $3.50 per page. The measure authorizes electronic signatures for transcripts, bans s for salaried reporters, and establishes premium rates for expedited transcriptions. The bill failed final passage in the House on April 1, 2026.
Changes maximum permissible fees litigants pay for court records and alters compensation structures for court reporters across multiple judicial districts.
- House Bill 527 was considered during the 2026 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature and ultimately failed on final House passage. 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.
Court reporters
Court reporters are subject to new uniform fee caps, restrictions on sitting fees, and structured rates for expedited transcripts.
Litigants
Litigants face revised statutory maximum costs for obtaining transcripts and certified copies across judicial districts.
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 are the new proposed maximum fees for standard transcripts?
Can court reporters charge sitting fees under the proposal?
What additional charges apply for expedited transcripts?
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 · passed the House.
Procedural history
8 actions- Apr 1, 2026HouseFloorRead third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 68, nays 29. The bill, not having received two-thirds vote of the elected members, failed to pass.
- Mar 31, 2026HouseScheduled for floor debate on 04/01/2026.
- Mar 30, 2026HouseFloorRead by title, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
- Mar 26, 2026HouseCommitteeReported favorably (9-5).
- 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.
Show 2 earlier actions
- Feb 26, 2026HousePrefiled.
- Feb 26, 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
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Consolidation of Fragmented Local Fee Rules
The bill systematically repeals numerous district-specific statutes and prior un-enacted acts in favor of a centralized statewide fee framework.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.la.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 45)
- Controversy30Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools