House Bill No. 502, introduced by Representative Butler, aims to amend existing laws regarding the compensation, evaluation, duties, and removal of registrars of voters in Louisiana. The bill expands the grounds for removal by the State Board of Election Supervisors to include incompetence, consistent under-performance, abuse of leave policies, violation of substance abuse policies, and a finding of "unsuccessful" on merit evaluations for two consecutive years. It also establishes a process for hearings on allegations raised by the commissioner of elections, ensuring that such hearings occur within 30 days of receiving the allegations. Additionally, the bill introduces a firing freeze during the pendency of removal proceedings.

The proposed legislation also outlines new merit evaluation criteria for registrars, chief deputies, and confidential assistants, categorizing performance into "excellent," "successful," "unsuccessful," or "unrated." Registrars and their deputies will receive salary increases based on their evaluations, with a cap of five increases for those at the highest salary step. Furthermore, the bill stipulates that registrars may only close their offices in extreme circumstances while still performing essential functions. Overall, House Bill No. 502 seeks to enhance accountability and performance standards for registrars of voters in Louisiana.

Statutes affected:
HB502 Original: 18:53(A), 18:55(A)(4), 18:59(B)(4), 18:134(A)