HB 299 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

COURTS: Provides relative to the filing of jury bonds by person, mail, or commercial courier

HB 299 allows individuals to file jury bonds in person, by U.S. Postal Service mail, or via commercial delivery services (like FedEx or UPS) instead of only in person. This change directly affects people who must submit jury bonds, such as those serving on juries or their representatives. The bill amends Louisiana's court filing rules to explicitly include these three methods for jury bonds, streamlining the process without altering jury service requirements. It is a procedural update focused on accessibility, not substantive policy.
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
May 2026
Introduced Feb 24, 2026 Signed May 22, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB299 Original → HB299 Act 298 · 1 edit
MINOR
This bill amends the Code of Civil Procedure to explicitly allow jury bonds to be filed in paper form via mail or commercial courier, in addition to in-person filing. Previously, jury bonds were not listed among the specific documents permitted for non-electronic submission, creating a potential procedural hurdle for litigants unable to appear in court. The change clarifies the filing process to ensure jury bonds can be submitted remotely or by mail, streamlining access to justice for parties involved in civil cases.
Scope change
The bill expands the scope of documents eligible for paper filing from a general list to specifically include jury bonds, thereby applying the existing mail and courier filing rules to this specific legal instrument.
REQUIREMENT

Added jury bonds to the list of original documents that may be filed in paper form by mail or commercial courier.

Floor votes · Senate May 18, 2026 · House Apr 15, 2026

How they voted

33–0
Passed · 6 other
Total votes 39
May 18, 2026
D Democratic11
10 Yea 1
90% Yea
R Republican28
23 Yea 5
82% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
20
Key actions
4
Committee
5
May 18, 2026
Upper · Passed
Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 33 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
upper
May 6, 2026
Committee
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
upper
May 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
Rules suspended. Reported favorably.
upper
Apr 15, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 97, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
lower
Apr 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably (12-0).
lower
Mar 9, 2026
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
lower
Feb 24, 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
Photo of Michael Melerine
Michael Melerine
RRepublican
LA
6