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Local bill to allocate pretrial diversion funds to Fourth JDC deferred after DA concerns
Summary
Representative Fisher withdrew HB 545 for further work after district attorneys and committee members raised concerns that diverting pretrial intervention funds to a judicial district could set statewide precedent and affect victim and public-safety programs.
A local bill, HB 545, that would direct certain pretrial intervention (PTI) or diversion funds to the Fourth Judicial District Court prompted substantial pushback from other legislators and district attorneys and was voluntarily deferred by the sponsor.
Representative Fisher described the bill as a local measure to deposit diversion funds into an account for the Fourth JDC to support local diversion-related needs. He said the proposal was supported locally by the Fourth JDC and the local district attorney’s office; the sponsor said the DA’s agreement was not mandatory and that a future DA could decline participation.
Multiple committee members said their own district attorneys objected, warning the bill could create a statewide precedent that would allow diversion program revenues to be reallocated away from existing services. Representative Ozeron and others explained that some DAs use PTI funds to purchase services, hire consultants and fund programs such as LACE (local auxiliary or law-enforcement-supported traffic enforcement) that supplement officer staffing and victim services. Zach Daniels, executive director of the Louisiana District Attorneys Association, testified the association is formally opposed, saying diversion “cannot be viewed as a resource” to fund other offices and that the Fourth District’s program “operates at a deficit.” Daniels said local memoranda of understanding or parish-level solutions might achieve the sponsor’s goals without state statute.
After extended questioning and a request that stakeholders work together on local solutions and alternatives, Representative Fisher voluntarily asked to defer the bill.
Ending: The sponsor agreed to voluntarily defer HB 545 and to work with local DAs and stakeholders on alternatives; the committee did not vote on the bill.
