Repeals the provisions of law establishing a court reporter pool employed by the Louisiana Supreme Court

HB 187 repeals Louisiana Revised Statute 13:981 in its entirety, eliminating the statutory framework that established and governed a court reporter pool employed by the Louisiana Supreme Court. The repealed statute had created a pool of up to 30 court reporters under supreme court employment, assigned on a geographical basis to district courts throughout the state, and provided the mechanism by which the supreme court could manage court reporting services across the judicial system. By removing this statute, the bill eliminates all statutory provisions relating to the qualifications, duties, responsibilities, compensation, assignment procedures, and operational guidelines for pool court reporters.

The practical effect of this repeal is to dismantle the court reporter pool system that the supreme court has used to staff court reporting services in district courts. District courts will no longer have access to pool court reporters funded through the supreme court's budget at the established salary of $15,000 annually per reporter. However, the judicial administrator retains authority under current law to contract with shorthand court reporting companies to provide court reporting services as needed. This creates a transition from a direct-employment model to what would likely become a contract-based or alternative staffing model for obtaining court reporting services in district courts, potentially affecting both the employment status of current pool court reporters and the manner in which district courts secure reporting services going forward.

The repealed statute operated within the framework of Title 13 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes, which governs courts and court proceedings. The court reporter pool represented one mechanism for providing court reporting services, complementing the district courts' own reporters established under other provisions of Title 13. The repeal does not eliminate district courts' authority to employ their own court reporters or eliminate the state's obligation to provide court reporting services; rather, it removes one specific statutory funding and employment mechanism for accomplishing this constitutional function. The supreme court's authority to make rules and set procedures for court operations would continue to exist independent of this repealed statute.