House Bill No. HLS 25RS-308, introduced by Representative Muscarello, seeks to standardize and revise the fee structures for court reporters across Louisiana by amending several sections of the Louisiana Revised Statutes, specifically R.S. 13:961 through R.S. 13:980. The bill establishes new maximum fees for civil and non-indigent criminal cases at five dollars per thirty-two-line page transcript and two dollars per page for certified copies. For indigent criminal cases, the maximum fees are set at three dollars and fifty cents per thirty-two-line page transcript and one dollar per page for certified copies. The legislation also prohibits court reporters from charging a sitting fee and introduces expedited transcription fees based on requested turnaround times.

In addition to establishing these new fee structures, the bill repeals previous acts that allowed for varying fee structures across different judicial districts, thereby creating a uniform fee schedule statewide. It allows for adjustments to fees by a majority of judges within the respective courts and ensures that these fees are retained by court reporters as part of their compensation, taxed as case expenses. The bill also includes amendments that change the number of lines per page from 31 to 32, removes an exemption for fees when an electronic copy of a transcript is provided, and mandates that an electronic copy must be furnished with a certified copy upon request.

Statutes affected:
HB155 Original: 13:961(F)(1), 13:962(H), 13:963(I)(1), 13:964(H), 13:1(B), 13:966(A), 13:967(C)(1), 13:969(G), 13:970(L), 13:971(B)(1), 13:972(D)(1), 13:975(B), 13:976(C), 13:978(H)(1), 13:979(H), 13:980(D)(1), 13:970(K)
HB155 Engrossed: 13:961(F)(1), 13:962(H), 13:963(I)(1), 13:964(H), 13:1(B), 13:966(A), 13:967(C)(1), 13:969(G), 13:970(L), 13:971(B)(1), 13:972(D)(1), 13:975(B), 13:976(C), 13:978(H)(1), 13:979(H), 13:980(D)(1), 13:970(K)
HB155 Reengrossed: 13:961(F)(1), 13:962(H), 13:963(I)(1), 13:964(H), 13:1(B), 13:966(A), 13:967(C)(1), 13:969(G), 13:970(L), 13:971(B)(1), 13:972(D)(1), 13:975(B), 13:976(C), 13:978(H)(1), 13:979(H), 13:980(D)(1), 13:970(K)