Legislature approves bill to build new Livingston Parish courthouse

May 26, 2011

Louisiana: The Louisiana Senate passed House Bill 407 (with a vote of 31-0) on May 25, 2011 that would raise an estimated $1.36 million each year to construct a new courthouse for Livingston Parish. This makes the bill's last stop the desk of Gov. Bobby Jindal, who will decide whether or not to veto. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Bodi White and would increase fees for civil suit filings by $100. Fees for other document recording would also increase. These increased fees would go to the cost of borrowing money for building the courthouse. No total cost or timeline of completion was announced. The current courthouse was built in the 1940s. Senators such as Dale Erdey believe that a replacement courthouse is needed due to the increased needs of a quickly growing parish. The parish already owns the land on which to build the courthouse.