SB 476: CIVIL PROCEDURE: Provides relative to garnishment. (8/1/26) - Louisiana

SB476 Original → SB476 Act · 4 edits

MODERATE

SB 476 moved from its original bill version to the enrolled act (Act No. 268). The only substantive textual change is a minor citation correction specifying Article 2412(A)(1) instead of Article 2412(A), and a small rewording in one provision for clarity. All other changes are standard enrolled-act formatting: removal of the digest, addition of signature blocks, and page renumbering.

TECHNICAL

Citation corrected from 'Art. 2412(A)' to 'Art. 2412(A)(1)' in both the title and Section 1, making the reference to the specific subsection more precise.

In Art. 2413(B)(4), the phrase 'subsequent to commencement of the garnishment proceeding by service of the petition upon him' was reworded to 'after the garnishment proceeding is commenced by service of the petition upon him.' This is a stylistic clarification with no change in legal meaning.

The legislative digest (a non-binding summary prepared by Senate Legislative Services) was removed, as is standard when a bill is enrolled and signed into law.

Signature blocks for the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Governor of Louisiana were added, along with the Act number (268), as required for an enrolled act.

SB476 Enrolled → SB476 Original · 3 edits

MINOR

The diff between the Enrolled and Original versions of SB 476 shows only minor technical and formatting differences, with no substantive policy changes. The bill's core provisions regarding garnishment procedures, the 30-day response deadline, new trial rights, burden of proof, and attorney fee awards remain identical in both versions.

TECHNICAL

The citation to Code of Civil Procedure Article 2412 was changed from '2412(A)(1)' in the Enrolled version to '2412(A)' in the Original version, removing a paragraph-level designation.

The wording describing the boldface notice requirement was slightly rephrased: the Enrolled version says 'shall include the following statement in boldface type' while the Original version says 'shall include a notice in boldface, stating the following.' The legal effect is the same.

The Original version includes a legislative digest section summarizing present and proposed law, which is standard for original bill introductions but not part of the enrolled text.

SB476 Reengrossed → SB476 Enrolled · 3 edits · May 15, 2026

MINOR

SB 476 transitioned from its Reengrossed version to the Enrolled version, indicating it passed both chambers and was approved by the governor. The only substantive text change is a minor formatting correction removing a space in the article citation (2412 (A)(1) to 2412(A)(1)). The digest, amendment summary, and SLS tracking number were removed as is standard for enrolled bills, and the governor's approval signature was added.

TECHNICAL

Removed a space in the article citation, changing 'Arts. 2412 (A)(1)' to 'Arts. 2412(A)(1)' - a formatting correction with no policy impact.

The legislative digest and summary of Senate amendments were removed, which is standard when a bill reaches enrolled status.

Signature lines for the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, and Governor of Louisiana with an 'APPROVED' notation were added, confirming the bill was signed into law.

SB476 Enrolled → SB476 Act · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill was finalized and enrolled as Act No. 268, marking the transition from a draft legislative proposal to an official law. This change signifies that the bill has passed all stages of review and is now legally binding.

Scope change

No substantive policy scope changes were identified in the provided text; the document reflects the finalization of the bill rather than a modification of its content.

TECHNICAL

The header was updated to reflect the bill's final status as 'ACT No. 268' and the 'ENROLLED' version, indicating it is ready for execution.

SB476 Original → SB476 Enrolled · 5 edits · May 15, 2026

MODERATE

This bill updates the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure regarding garnishments, specifically changing the citation numbers to reflect recent legislative reorganization. The most significant substantive change is a new requirement that the notice sent to a garnishee must explicitly warn them that failing to answer interrogatories within 30 days could make them personally liable for the entire debt. The bill also clarifies the rules for garnishees who fail to appear in court, granting them a specific window to request a new trial and shifting the burden of proof to them to show they never held the debtor's assets.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on civil garnishment procedures, but the applicability of the warning notice requirement is now tied to the updated article numbers (2412(A)(1)).

TECHNICAL

Updated the referenced Code of Civil Procedure article numbers from 2412(A) to 2412(A)(1) to align with current statutory structure.

REQUIREMENT

Added a mandatory boldface warning statement to the garnishment notice, informing the garnishee that failure to answer within 30 days may result in personal liability for the full debt amount.

TIMELINE

Established a 30-day deadline for a garnishee to file a motion for a new trial if they were judged by default due to failing to appear after proper service.

ENFORCEMENT

Required that any motion for a new trial must include an affidavit affirming the specific facts the garnishee must prove to avoid liability.

Mandated that the garnishee bears the burden of proof at a new trial to demonstrate they never possessed the debtor's property or satisfied the judgment.

SB476 Reengrossed → SB476 Original · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill text was reverted from a reengrossed version to the original version, removing specific references to subsections (A)(1) in the Code of Civil Procedure. This change eliminates a detailed citation to a specific part of the law that was added in the reengrossed version, likely to correct a drafting error or align the bill with the intended statutory language.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's referenced legal provisions was narrowed by removing a specific subsection citation (Art. 2412(A)(1)) from the text.

TECHNICAL

Removed the specific reference to 'Arts. 2412 (A)(1)' in the bill's purpose statement and Section 1, reverting the citation to just 'Arts. 2412(A)'.

SB476 Engrossed → SB476 Reengrossed · 1 edit · May 11, 2026

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to correct a citation error in the Code of Civil Procedure, changing the reference to Article 2412(A) to Article 2412(A)(1). This technical amendment ensures the legislation accurately points to the specific subsection governing garnishment procedures without altering the substantive legal rules or requirements.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains unchanged; the amendment is a technical correction to the statutory citation.

TECHNICAL

Corrected the citation in the bill's title and Section 1 from 'Code of Civil Procedure Arts. 2412(A)' to 'Code of Civil Procedure Arts. 2412 (A)(1)' to align with the specific subsection being amended.

CIVIL PROCEDURE: Provides relative to garnishment. (8/1/26)

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