HB 1043 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

COURTS: Provides relative to the civil jurisdictional amounts for the First and Second Parish Courts

HB 1043 updates the civil jurisdiction limits for parish courts in Louisiana by increasing the maximum amount in dispute from $20,000 to $50,000. This change directly affects individuals and entities filing civil cases in parish courts, allowing them to pursue claims up to $50,000 without needing to file in higher courts. The bill amends existing state law to reflect this new threshold while maintaining the concurrent jurisdiction between parish courts and district courts for qualifying cases. This adjustment applies to all civil cases involving money or property disputes within the specified limit.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2026

Committee Review

May 2026

House Passage

May 2026

Senate Passage

May 2026

Signed into Law

Jun 2026

Introduced Mar 30, 2026 Signed Jun 23, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB1043 Original → HB1043 Act 935 · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill updates the civil jurisdictional limits for parish courts in Louisiana, raising the maximum amount in dispute from $20,000 to $50,000. This change allows parish courts to handle more significant civil cases that were previously required to be filed in district courts, streamlining access to justice for residents. The law also specifies that cases exceeding this new limit must be removed to the Twenty-Fourth Judicial District Court.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of cases parish courts can hear by increasing the financial threshold for jurisdiction.

THRESHOLDS

Increased the civil jurisdictional amount for parish courts from $20,000 to $50,000.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the specific statutory sections (R.S. 13:2561.2(A) and 2562.2(A)) to reflect the new dollar limit.

TIMELINE

Added a section specifying the effective date of the act upon gubernatorial signature or legislative approval.

Floor votes · Senate May 18, 2026 · House Apr 20, 2026

How they voted

36–0

Passed · 4 other

Total votes 40

May 18, 2026

D Democratic12

10 Yea 2

83% Yea

R Republican28

26 Yea 2

92% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

May 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read by title, roll called, yeas 97, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.

lower

May 18, 2026

Upper · Passed

Rules suspended. Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 35 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

upper

May 6, 2026

Committee

Committee amendments read and adopted. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

upper

May 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

Rules suspended. Reported with amendments.

upper

Apr 20, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 95, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

lower

Apr 13, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported with amendments (6-0-1).

lower

Mar 31, 2026

Committee

Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors