Committee adopts statewide caps and reforms for court transcripts and reporter rules
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Summary
Lawmakers advanced a package of bills standardizing court reporter fees and clarifying ownership of reporter notes and recordings, including a proposed cap (up to $6 per page) for transcripts and limits on certified copy fees; the measures also repeal an unused Supreme Court reporter pool and set reporting requirements.
The House Judiciary Committee considered several bills aimed at standardizing court reporter practices and transcript fees across Louisiana. The package included measures to clarify court ownership of notes and recordings, repeal an unused Supreme Court court‑reporter pool and create a statewide cap on transcript fees.
Jennifer Egan of the Louisiana Supreme Court told the panel the measures reflect a yearlong judicial council study and recommended a cap to reduce disparity across parishes. The proposed cap discussed in committee was up to $6 per page for non‑indigent civil transcripts, with a lower cap for certified copies and limits for indigent defendants. The committee described the proposal as a cap (not a mandatory rate) so jurisdictions with lower fees could remain lower.
Witnesses said the cap aims to keep official reporters from leaving for higher fees in neighboring parishes and to bring rural clerks into a clearer, consistent system. Members of the committee also discussed technology and the role of computer‑assisted transcription; the Supreme Court representative said technology can assist but that certified, edited transcripts still rely on reporters.
The committee passed the bills in the package as amended and recorded the votes during the hearing; the measures will proceed to the House calendar.
