Session Is in Full Swing

Thibodaux PD Seeks Help Identifying Suspect
March 18, 2020
Legal Leaders | Hunt Downer, Waitz & Downer
March 19, 2020
Thibodaux PD Seeks Help Identifying Suspect
March 18, 2020
Legal Leaders | Hunt Downer, Waitz & Downer
March 19, 2020

The work of the Louisiana 2020 Regular Legislative Session is in full swing as of Monday, March 9, 2020. This is a “general” session, which means that specific revenue raising and tax measures cannot be considered. These issues can only be considered in odd numbered years. However, this session, legislators may consider a wide-range of other issues.


Legislators have pre-filed over 1,100 measures for consideration – 416 Senate Bills and 704 House Bills. Not only are there several measures to consider, but there are several new legislators to consider them. The House has 45 new members, including two former senators and the Senate welcomes 20 new members, including ten former representatives.

The measures are wide ranging and address a variety of important topics – from insurance reforms and transportation funding to maternal welfare and public safety. Senate President Page Cortez is confident that members of the legislature will be able to work together to bring meaningful change to the citizens of Louisiana.

“In light of Governor Edwards’ comments during the joint address, I am more optimistic than ever that we will be able to work with the administration and the House of Representatives to bring about a safer, stronger Louisiana for generations to come,” said President Cortez.


The Regular Session is set to end on June 1, 2020.

Rep Proposes Restrictions on Transgender Female Athletes

A proposed bill in the State House would, if made law, prohibit transgender females from competing in women’s sports.

House Bill 466, the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” was prefiled Friday, February 28. Its authors are Beryl Amedee, Larry Frieman, Mike Johnson, and Danny McCormick.


“It only affects those sports where we have designated teams – male and female,” said Beryl Amedee, Republican, State Representative for district 51. “This is not going to affect the school chess team, this will affect the school track team.”

The bill argues that individuals born as biological males have inherent advantages against their female counterparts, even if they are in the process of, or have completed, transitioning. As such those having transitioned, or in the midst of it, should not be allowed to compete with biological females.

The restrictions would not apply to transgender individuals competing in male sporting events.


It leans on the U.S. Supreme Court case from 1996, United States v. Virginia, et al, 518 U.S. 515, 533, as the basis for acknowledging, “’[i]nherent differences’ between men and women.” Then expands this by identifying which differences lead to unfair advantages in sports.

If passed into law, said Amedee, only biological females would be allowed to compete against one another at all levels of education.

“The purpose of the bill is to specify that only females will play on girl’s teams,” said Amedee. “This will apply for elementary, secondary, and college sports.”


This would also apply to private schools, but only if the schools accept state tax dollars.

These rulings could be implemented by athletic organizations/institutions, said Amedee, but this bill would avoid costly court battles.

“The athletic associations could, but if the government would actually put this into statute, then it can save athletic associations a whole lot of court battles that are going to be costly and take up time,” Amedee stated. “It’s to keep the athletics fair.”


She said the private sector, such as the NFL, can take care of themselves, but the State is responsible for education.

There is no standard method for tracking or reporting court costs, fines, or fees across Louisiana, making it difficult for lawmakers to have an accurate accounting of just how much money is involved in the state’s criminal justice system.

Where’s the money?

State Rep. Tanner Magee (R-52) has proposed a bill, HB 481, which would require the legislative auditor to create one. Currently, each individual jurisdiction collects, documents, and allocates these dollars in their own way. This can lead to each entity using different coding and filing methods, as well as questions such as which office is prioritized in compensation first.


This creates a lack of crucial information when trying to write legislature: “We can’t figure out all of that, because we don’t even know where it’s all going,” said Magee. “You can’t track the dollars into the system.”

The bill calls the court costs, fines, and fees “fragmented,” and as such does not give a total scope of the operating costs of the judicial system. The bill then asks the legislative auditor to come up with a uniform method to audit state and local reports, and require those reports to provide certain information.

“At a minimum, the amounts of all pre- and post-adjudication court costs, fines, and fees assessed or imposed; the amounts collected; the amounts outstanding; the amounts retained; the amounts disbursed; and the amounts received from disbursements,” the bill says.


Another requirement from the bill is that legislative auditors, along with the Louisiana Supreme Court, come up with standardized terminology. This lack of uniform terms leads to difficulties in transparency.

“What’s coded one way in one jurisdiction is coded another way in another – some places it’s not coded at all,” said Magee.

As for prioritization, Magee used an example of someone on probation who owes $1,000 to the court, but cannot afford it. The judge decides he will pay the $300. Various entities are due a portion of the $1,000, and a question arises: who receives what amount?


“The problem we had, as we tried to work our way out of the system, is that we don’t know how much money we are talking about, and the reason we don’t know is you can’t tell,” Magee explained. “Every parish is different, every jurisdiction is different, the fees aren’t the same, and what’s called one thing in one is called something else in another.”

Hopefully, said Magee, with the implementation of HB 481, the money would able to be tracked through the process.