HB 719 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

DISTRICT ATTORNEYS/ASST: Provides relative to the number of assistant district attorneys in each judicial district (EN +$3,411,000 GF EX See Note)

HB 719 mandates minimum staffing levels for assistant district attorneys (ADAs) across all 42 judicial districts in Louisiana, including Orleans Parish (New Orleans). The bill specifies exact minimum numbers - such as 35 ADAs for the First Judicial District and 83 for Orleans Parish - requiring district attorneys to appoint at least these numbers in each district. It also requires approval from the Governor’s Advisory and Review Commission on Assistant District Attorneys before implementation, with the changes taking effect on January 1, 2027. This bill directly affects district attorneys’ offices by setting enforceable staffing requirements, without altering legal procedures or creating new programs.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
May 2026
House Passage
May 2026
Senate Passage
May 2026
Signed into Law
Jun 2026
Introduced Feb 27, 2026 Signed Jun 8, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB719 Original HB719 Act 827 · 3 edits
MINOR
This bill updates the number of assistant district attorneys required in Louisiana's judicial districts based on new population data and reorganizes the districts to reflect recent changes. It also clarifies the timeline for these changes to take effect, linking them to legislative appropriation and governor approval.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded to include additional representatives and updated the list of judicial districts to match current administrative structures, including the addition of new districts and renumbering.
REQUIREMENT

Increased the number of assistant district attorneys in several districts, such as the First Judicial District from 35 to 39, and adjusted counts for others based on updated needs.

Reorganized the numbering and names of judicial districts to align with current administrative boundaries, adding new districts like the Twenty-Seventh and Thirty-Eighth.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date for staffing changes from a fixed date (January 1, 2027) to a conditional timeline dependent on legislative appropriation and governor approval.

Floor votes · Senate May 28, 2026 · House May 7, 2026

How they voted

307
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 40
May 28, 2026
D Democratic12
3 Yea 6 Nay 3
50% Nay
R Republican28
27 Yea 1 Nay
96% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
27
Key actions
7
Committee
8
May 31, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read by title, roll called, yeas 75, nays 18, Senate amendments concurred in.
lower
May 28, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 30 yeas and 6 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
upper
May 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
Rules suspended. Reported with amendments. Rules suspended. Committee amendments read and adopted. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
upper
May 20, 2026
Committee
Read by title. Recommitted to the Committee on Finance.
upper
May 20, 2026
Upper · Passed
Rules suspended. Recalled from Committee.
upper
May 7, 2026
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
May 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported with amendments (20-0).
lower
Apr 27, 2026
Committee
Read by title, amended, ordered engrossed, recommitted to the Committee on Appropriations.
lower
Apr 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported with amendments (15-0).
lower
Mar 9, 2026
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
lower
Feb 27, 2026
Committee
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
lower
1 primary · 35 co-sponsors

Sponsors