HB 123: COURTS/COURT COSTS: Provides relative to deferral of costs and fees associated with electronic filing requirements (EN NO IMPACT See Note) - Louisiana

HB123 Original → HB123 Act · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill updates the definition of 'court costs' to include fees charged by third-party vendors for electronic filing, not just those charged directly by clerks. It also extends the deferral period for government entities to pay these costs until a judgment is final or all issues are adjudicated, removing a previous 30-day payment deadline.

Scope change

The scope of 'court costs' was expanded to include third-party vendor fees, and the applicability of the deferral rule was broadened to cover all pending issues in a case rather than just the initial judgment date.

DEFINITION

Expanded the definition of 'court costs' to include fees charged by third-party vendors for electronic filing, in addition to fees charged by clerks.

TIMELINE

Removed the 30-day deadline for government entities to pay deferred court costs; costs are now only due after the judgment becomes final or all issues are adjudicated.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the requirement for withholding costs to apply until the judgment is final or all issues in the judicial proceeding are resolved, rather than just when the judgment becomes final.

HB123 Enrolled → HB123 Original · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill updates the definition of 'court costs' to explicitly include fees for electronic filing and related services charged by clerks. It also removes the 30-day deadline for government entities to pay deferred court costs, instead requiring payment only after a judgment becomes final and unappealable.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of costs covered to include modern electronic filing fees and alters the timeline for when government entities must pay these costs.

DEFINITION

Expanded the definition of 'court costs' to include fees for electronic filing of civil and criminal pleadings, electronic filing of documents, and related convenience, transaction, or service fees.

TIMELINE

Removed the requirement for government entities to pay deferred court costs within 30 days of a judgment becoming final.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the payment trigger for deferred costs to require that the judgment be final, definitive, nonappealable, and that all issues in the proceeding be adjudicated.

HB123 Reengrossed → HB123 Enrolled · 4 edits · Jun 8, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was finalized as an enrolled version, removing administrative headers and the legislative digest while retaining the core text. The substantive policy changes from the previous version remain in effect, specifically the removal of the 30-day deadline for paying deferred court costs and the inclusion of third-party vendor fees in the definition of court costs.

Scope change

The scope of the law remains unchanged; the bill continues to apply to the state, political subdivisions, and their agents regarding the deferral of electronic filing fees and court costs.

TECHNICAL

Removed the 'Prefiled pursuant to...' header and the 'Digest' section, which provided a summary of the bill's purpose and analysis but is not part of the actual law.

Removed the 'Summary of Amendments Adopted by House' section, which explained how the bill was modified during the legislative process.

TIMELINE

The text confirms that the 30-day payment deadline for deferred court costs was removed, allowing entities to withhold costs until a judgment is final or nonappealable.

DEFINITION

The text confirms that 'court costs' now explicitly include fees charged by third-party vendors for electronic filing.

HB123 Engrossed → HB123 Reengrossed · 3 edits · May 29, 2025

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to clarify that court costs can now be withheld from third-party vendors, not just the clerk of court. It also updates the definition of 'court costs' to explicitly include fees charged by these third-party vendors for electronic filing services. These changes ensure that government entities can delay payments to private vendors until a court judgment is final, protecting public funds from premature disbursement.

Scope change

The scope of entities subject to the withholding requirement was expanded to include third-party vendors in addition to the clerk of court.

REQUIREMENT

Extended the withholding requirement to include payments owed to third-party vendors, not just the clerk of court.

DEFINITION

Explicitly defined 'court costs' to include fees charged by third-party vendors for electronic filing and related services.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill title and digest to reflect the 'Reengrossed' status and include new floor amendments regarding third-party vendor payments.

COURTS/COURT COSTS: Provides relative to deferral of costs and fees associated with electronic filing requirements (EN NO IMPACT See Note)

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