Judiciary B committee advances several bills including online protective‑order filing and public defender funding clarifications

The Senate Committee on Judiciary B on April 14 advanced several bills on a range of criminal‑justice and administrative subjects.

SB 259 (sponsor: President Pro Tem Barrow) would let people seek protective orders online through a portal the clerk's office is building; sponsors said grant funding will cover portal costs and the committee adopted technical amendments before reporting the bill with amendments. Anne Steer identified herself for the record as a legal consultant for the Louisiana Protective Order Registry and described how the change would let petitioners file without an affirmation attached if they file secretly and lack someone to affirm for them.

SB 345 (sponsor: President Pro Tem Barrow) converts a prior study resolution into a statutory duty for the Office of Juvenile Justice to submit timely reports about prevention and intervention programs; the committee added a technical amendment so the House committee on administration of criminal justice is included for jurisdictional clarity.

The panel also reported SB 440 (reconstituting the board overseeing the Renaissance Home for Youth in Rapides Parish), SB 448 (clarifying that public‑defender funding be used for public‑defender purposes and aligning fee/appointment language), and SB 487 (technical changes to charitable‑gaming rental‑agreement language). Committee members described those bills as technical or workforce‑focused; SB 448 proponents emphasized the need to stabilize the public‑defender workforce.

The committee adjourned after completing the agenda.