A state proposal to reshuffle prosecutor jobs across Louisiana is racing through the Capitol, and New Orleans officials say their office is about to get carved up so others can bulk up. The bill would move a chunk of state-backed prosecutor slots out of Orleans Parish and into faster-growing districts, a shift local leaders warn will drain firepower from the city’s already stretched criminal courts.
How Many New Prosecutors And What They Cost
House Bill 719, in its reengrossed form, would create about 60 additional assistant district attorney positions statewide with an estimated annual price tag of $3.4 million for salaries and benefits, according to the Legislative Fiscal Office. The office’s fiscal note also makes one key point: none of it happens unless lawmakers separately vote to fund it, since the bill’s provisions only kick in if implementation is explicitly appropriated.
How HB 719 Would Reshuffle Prosecutor Posts
The bill resets the minimum number of assistant district attorneys in many judicial districts, aiming to beef up staffing where legislators say caseloads and population have outgrown current ranks. Under the reengrossed text, the Nineteenth Judicial District in East Baton Rouge Parish would jump from 55 to 73 assistant district attorneys, and the Twenty-second Judicial District in St. Tammany Parish would go from 30 to 46. The First Judicial District in Caddo Parish, along with several others, would also see increases, according to House Bill 719 (reengrossed).
What New Orleans Stands To Lose
State law currently underwrites a fixed number of "warrants" that help cover assistant district attorneys’ salaries. Each warrant is worth roughly $50,000 per prosecutor under existing statutes, as set out in R.S. 16:11. Session coverage has framed the impact for New Orleans this way: the law now subsidizes about 83 assistant district attorney positions in Orleans Parish, and the latest amendments would leave the city with about 73 state-backed warrants, a loss of roughly 10 funded slots, according to reporting from the Louisiana Illuminator.
That potential cut has not gone over quietly. "The amendment is a direct attack on the city of New Orleans," one lawmaker told NOLA.com. Prosecutors in parishes slated to gain new positions have praised the move, arguing they have been understaffed for years. State Sen. Jimmy Harris, by contrast, has labeled the change an assault on New Orleans, while leaders in the Nineteenth Judicial District say the additional warrants would finally put East Baton Rouge in a better position to meet its public-safety responsibilities.
Where The Bill Stands Now
HB 719 cleared the House earlier in May, then moved to the Senate, where lawmakers adopted floor amendments before passing it out. The bill has since been sent back to the House with those changes and now sits waiting for representatives to either concur or push for a conference committee, according to the Louisiana Legislature. If the House signs off and the governor approves the measure, the timing and scope of the shift will still depend on how the separate appropriation language is written and funded.
Why This Matters
Supporters argue the revisions simply follow people and caseloads, steering scarce state-backed salaries to parishes that have grown and struggle to keep up with prosecutions. Opponents see something more pointed, saying the redistribution looks political and could weaken prosecutors’ ability to move cases in New Orleans. The fight is playing out against a backdrop of other 2026 legislative measures and court-office shakeups that critics say disproportionately remake New Orleans criminal justice institutions, as reported by The Lens.
What Comes Next
If lawmakers include money for the new positions in the budget and the governor signs HB 719, the reallocation would roll out under the bill’s appropriation schedule. Until then, Orleans Parish officials say they plan to keep pressing legislators and the public for changes or carve-outs that would blunt the impact. Expect more floor speeches, last-minute amendments, and calls from New Orleans leaders in the coming days as the House decides whether to go along with the Senate’s version.
