Rep. Stephanie Berault

Maddy summaryHB 336 amends the Code of Civil Procedure to revise the rules for where lawsuits involving uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) insurance policies can be filed. It specifies that these actions should generally be brought in the parish where the wrongful conduct occurred or where the defendant is domiciled. However, if the lawsuit is solely against the UM/UIM policy, it may also be filed in the insured person's home parish. This bill directly affects individuals with UM/UIM policies, insurance companies, and defendants involved in related vehicle accidents.

Maddy summaryHB 439 proposes to establish a limit on attorney fees, directly affecting attorneys and their clients by regulating the maximum fees that can be charged for legal services. While the specific details of this limit are not provided in the available text, recent amendments removed original provisions related to penalties and an entire page of the bill.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 430 creates the Louisiana Lawyer Advertising and Unfair Trade Practices Act, regulating advertisements for services, particularly legal services. The bill prohibits individuals and entities (excluding media companies) from making false, misleading, or deceptive statements about the monetary results obtained for clients. A statement is considered misleading if it implies a client received a net amount of money that they did not actually receive after all expenses, including attorney fees, are deducted. Violations are classified as unfair trade practices, allowing the attorney general to pursue enforcement actions and recover associated costs and fees.

Maddy summaryHB 34 revises how medical expenses are handled in civil lawsuits, impacting claimants seeking recovery for medical costs and parties involved in trials. It limits the recovery of medical expenses to amounts considered reasonable for the claim. The bill allows any party to introduce evidence of both the billed and paid amounts for medical services. Furthermore, agreements between healthcare providers and third parties, such as letters of protection with attorneys, will be admissible as evidence to ensure transparency.

Maddy summaryHB 539 creates a program and a dedicated fund, to be administered by the Louisiana Department of Health. The purpose of this initiative is to recruit specialist physicians to practice medicine within the state. The bill aims to increase the availability of specialized medical care by incentivizing these physicians to establish their practices in Louisiana.

Maddy summaryHB 275 allows Louisiana students who qualified for a TOPS award but completed their undergraduate degree at an out-of-state institution to use their unused award amounts for medical or dental school in Louisiana. To be eligible, students must enroll in an approved in-state doctor of medicine, osteopathic medicine, or dentistry program. Recipients must sign a promissory note for repayment, but this is waived if they practice medicine or dentistry full-time in Louisiana for three consecutive years after completing their residency. The award amount is limited, and the administering agency will create rules for its implementation and collection.

Maddy summaryHR 20 is a resolution that expresses the condolences of the House of Representatives upon the death of Steven "Steve" Joseph Miguez. It acknowledges his life, business career, competitive shooting achievements, and family.

Maddy summaryHB 5 requires Louisiana public school systems to use savings from the Teachers' Retirement System to provide permanent salary increases for teachers and other school employees starting in the 2025-2026 school year. Certificated staff, such as teachers and administrators, must receive at least a $2,000 raise, while non-certificated staff, including aides and clerical workers, must receive at least $1,000. The bill mandates that these salary increases include associated retirement costs and applies to employees on specific leaves, such as military or maternity leave, provided they remain in their approved positions. If a school district does not have enough savings to cover the full amount of these raises, the remaining cost is to be funded through the state's minimum foundation program formula. Additionally, the legislation clarifies that charter schools participating in the state retirement system must also comply with these salary increase requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the state code to update the citation for the section prohibiting certain disciplinary actions against students in elementary and secondary schools. The change corrects a reference from "17:416(B)(2)" to "17:416.1(B)(2)" to ensure the law is accurately cited in legal documents. By fixing this numbering error, the legislation helps maintain the integrity of the existing rules that govern how schools must treat student discipline. The update does not alter the actual disciplinary restrictions but ensures the legal framework is properly referenced.