BAIL: Provides relative to notice of warrant for arrest
HB 143 requires clerks of court in Louisiana to send a notice of arrest warrant to specific parties within 60 days if a defendant fails to appear in court. This notice must be sent to the defendant, bail agent or bondsman (via electronic means if they opted in), the personal surety, and the commercial surety (including their power of attorney number). If the notice isn't sent to the commercial surety or opted-in bail agent within 60 days, it releases them from all obligations under the bail agreement. The bill updates existing procedures to clarify who receives these notices and ensures timely communication to protect sureties' rights.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
Jun 2025
Introduced Mar 31, 2025
Signed Jun 4, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons
What changed between versions
HB143 Original
→
HB143 Act 63
·
2 edits
MINOR
This bill updates the timeline for sending arrest warrant notices to bail agents and bondsmen. It changes the trigger for sending these notices from a fixed 60-day window after a warrant is issued to a specific 60-day window after the defendant fails to appear in court. Additionally, it clarifies that omitting a power of attorney number does not invalidate a resulting judgment.
Scope change
The bill's scope regarding the timing of notifications to sureties has been narrowed to apply specifically to instances where a defendant fails to appear, rather than being a general 60-day rule from the warrant issuance.
TIMELINE
The deadline for sending notice of a warrant for arrest to bail agents and bondsmen is now tied to the defendant's failure to appear, requiring the notice within 60 days of that specific event instead of 60 days after the warrant was issued.
ENFORCEMENT
A new provision states that failing to include a power of attorney number in a document will not affect the validity or enforcement of any resulting judgment.
Floor votes · Senate May 28, 2025 · House May 6, 2025
How they voted
35–0
Passed · 2 other
Total votes 37
May 28, 2025
D
Democratic11
90% Yea
R
Republican26
96% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
19
Key actions
4
Committee
5
May 28, 2025
Upper · Passed
Read by title, passed by a vote of 37 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
upper
May 19, 2025
Committee
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
upper
May 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably.
upper
May 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 95, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
lower
Apr 29, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably (11-0).
lower
Apr 14, 2025
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
lower
Mar 31, 2025
Committee
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Shaun Mena
DDemocratic
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