CIVIL/PROCEDURE: Provides that filings may be made on letter size rather than legal size paper
HB 227 allows attorneys in Louisiana to file court documents on standard letter-size paper (8.5 x 11 inches) instead of the traditional legal-size paper (8.5 x 14 inches) for both civil and criminal cases, effective January 1, 2026. The bill directly affects attorneys and court clerks who handle filings, streamlining the physical submission process while maintaining electronic filing requirements. Key provisions include permitting letter-size paper for all filings, requiring filers to exclude sensitive personal information (like SSN digits or full birth dates), and mandating clerks to adopt electronic filing systems. This change simplifies document preparation without altering substantive legal procedures.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
May 2026
House Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
May 2026
Signed into Law
Jun 2026
Introduced Feb 19, 2026
Signed Jun 23, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons
What changed between versions
HB227 Original
→
HB227 Act 927
·
3 edits
MINOR
This bill updates the rules for submitting legal documents to Louisiana courts, clarifying that both paper and electronic filings are acceptable on either legal or letter-sized paper. It also establishes that the official court record for electronic filings will be the digital version rather than a physical copy. These changes modernize filing procedures to accommodate different paper sizes and ensure digital records are treated as official.
Scope change
The bill expands the scope of acceptable paper sizes for filings to include both legal and letter size, whereas previous rules were less explicit about letter size. It also clarifies the status of electronic records as the official court file.
REQUIREMENT
Updated the requirement for paper size in court filings to explicitly allow both legal and letter size paper for both physical and electronic submissions.
DEFINITION
Added a specific provision stating that the official court record for any case accepting electronic filings shall be the electronic record itself.
TECHNICAL
Refined the language regarding electronic filing confirmations and public access rules to align with current digital filing systems.
Floor votes · Senate May 26, 2026 · House Apr 29, 2026
How they voted
37–0
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 40
May 26, 2026
D
Democratic12
83% Yea
R
Republican28
96% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
20
Key actions
4
Committee
5
May 26, 2026
Upper · Passed
Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 37 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
upper
May 20, 2026
Committee
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
upper
May 19, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably.
upper
Apr 29, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 91, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
lower
Apr 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably (17-0).
lower
Mar 9, 2026
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
lower
Feb 19, 2026
Committee
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Lauren Ventrella
RRepublican
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