Committee refines domestic-violence fee and continuance rules after contested testimony

Representative Edmonson and Justice Hughes led work on two related bills addressing fees and continuances in domestic-abuse protective-order proceedings.

On HB306 the committee agreed to a committee-originated amendment restoring fee-shifting language to require a perpetrator to pay a "reasonable attorney's fee" and to add "court-approved evaluation fees and expert witness fees" incurred in maintaining or defending domestic-abuse cases. Justice Hughes and family-court practitioners said the amendment is intended to allow judges to scale fees when litigation is abusive; advocates from STAR and the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence cautioned the committee to ensure changes do not jeopardize federal STOP-program funding or create barriers to protection-order access. Morgan Lamondre of STAR noted concern about language that could require prior approval for expert fees in fast-moving summary proceedings, saying such fees are often necessary and subpoenaed on short notice.

HB366 limits continuances of the initial protective-order hearing: the amendment adopted in committee permits a single continuance of up to 15 days after the initial 21‑day window, but preserves temporary orders and extends them when a defendant has not been served so there is no lapse in protection until service and a new hearing date are set. Supporters said the change addresses cases that drag on for months and can harm children and victims; opponents including former judges and service providers warned the changes could create practical notice problems and unintended protection gaps if phrasing is not implemented carefully.

Committee action: the committee withdrew the earlier amendment set 2097, adopted the committee-originating amendment to HB306 (adding "reasonable" attorney's fees and court-approved evaluation/expert fees), and adopted clarifying amendments to HB366; both bills were reported with amendments.

Next steps: both bills were reported out of committee as amended and will proceed toward floor consideration. Advocates requested technical clean-up and careful legislative drafting to avoid conflict with federal grant conditions.