House Bill No. 249, introduced by Representative Dewitt, amends the existing law regarding the use of court costs and civil filing fees in the City Court of Alexandria. The bill retains the provision that one-half of the civil fees collected will be allocated for the operational expenses of the court, while the other half will be deposited into the general fund of the Rapides Parish Police Jury. Additionally, the bill allows for the costs collected in civil cases to be used for supplementing the compensation of clerks and deputy clerks of court, contingent upon mutual consent between the judge of the City Court of Alexandria and the respective governing bodies of the Rapides Parish Police Jury and the city of Alexandria.

Furthermore, the proposed law enables the costs collected to be utilized for stenographic, clerical, and other operational expenses of the court without requiring consent from the Rapides Parish Police Jury. The bill also repeals Sections 2 and 4 of Act No. 121 from the 2023 Regular Session, which included sunset provisions that would have terminated the current law on January 1, 2026, reverting to previous regulations regarding the allocation of civil fees.

Statutes affected:
HB249 Original: 13:1875(12)
HB249 Engrossed: 13:1875(12)