House Bill No. by Representative Lafleur amends and reenacts specific provisions of R.S. 13:713 regarding the powers and duties of court commissioners in the 19th Judicial District Court. The bill clarifies that commissioners are responsible for hearing and recommending dispositions for civil, criminal, and domestic violence matters assigned by the court, including proceedings related to state prisoners. Notably, the bill allows commissioners to hold hearings at the facilities where state prisoners are incarcerated. Additionally, it expands the commissioners' authority to include issuing protective orders as a condition of bail or as required by statute.

The bill also makes several deletions and insertions to existing law. It removes the previous provisions that required commissioners to review and act on petitions for protective orders and instead grants them the authority to issue such orders directly. Furthermore, the bill modifies the commissioners' role in criminal matters by allowing them to hear and dispose of preliminary motions and make recommendations to the district judge when necessary. Lastly, it repeals certain sections of R.S. 13:713 that are no longer applicable, streamlining the responsibilities of the commissioners.

Statutes affected:
HB409 Original: 13:713(A), 13:713(B)(2)
HB409 Engrossed: 13:713(A), 13:713(B)(2)
HB409 Enrolled: 13:713(A), 13:713(B)(2)
HB409 Act 272: 13:713(A), 13:713(B)(2)