Committee backs increases in assistant DA pay and adds positions in many districts

The House Judiciary Committee advanced two related bills aimed at strengthening prosecution capacity across Louisiana. Representative Egan presented HB 660, which increases the dollar amount of a warrant so assistant district attorneys would have a $60,000 annual benchmark (district attorneys $65,000), and HB 719, which adjusts the number of assistant DA warrants in specified judicial districts.

Zach Daniels, executive director of the Louisiana District Attorneys Association, told the committee the measures reflect months of work and a commission-approved need for 164 additional warrants statewide; the package before the committee represents a partial, phased implementation. Members asked about fiscal notes, whether the change creates new hires immediately and how warrants can be stacked or split to manage pay and responsibilities; Daniels and sponsors said the bills provide flexibility and aim to improve recruitment and retention.

The committee adopted amendments to align the bills with advisory commission recommendations and reported both bills favorably with no recorded objections in committee.

Why it matters: Supporters described the package as an effort to bring pay in line with national averages for comparable entry-level public-sector attorneys and to address understaffed rural districts where a single prosecutor handles multiple responsibilities. Lawmakers expressed concern about fiscal impacts and whether the appropriation will fund immediate hiring.