House Bill No. 605, introduced by Representative Riser, enacts R.S. 30:21.1 to establish a framework for expedited processing fees within the Department of Energy and Natural Resources. The bill mandates that an expedited processing fee be charged to applicants whose requests for expedited processing are approved. This fee will be based on the actual costs incurred by the department for overtime work, capped at one-and-one-half times the standard hourly wage of the highest-paid eligible employee involved in the review. Additionally, an administrative surcharge of up to 20% of the total overtime cost will be applied, with a minimum charge of five hundred dollars.

The legislation also stipulates that any additional costs for mailing or delivery services beyond the department's standard offerings will be the responsibility of the applicant. However, if the need for expedited processing arises solely from an error, mistake, or delay on the part of the department, the expedited processing fee will be waived. This bill aims to streamline the processing of applications while ensuring that the department can recover costs associated with expedited services.