§4163. Ex parte motion for legislative continuance or extension of time; legislators or employees engaged in legislative or constitutional convention activities

A.(1) A member of the legislature and a legislative employee shall have peremptory grounds for continuance or extension of a criminal case, civil case, or administrative proceeding as provided below. The continuance or extension shall be sought by written motion specifically alleging these grounds.

(2) For purposes of this Section, "legislative employee" means the clerk of the House of Representative, the secretary of the Senate, and an employee of the House of Representatives, the Senate, or the Legislative Bureau, when such person is employed full-time during the legislative session or during any other time in which the continuance or extension is being sought.

B. The peremptory grounds for continuance or extension is available to and for the benefit of a member or legislative employee and may only be asserted or waived by a member or employee.

C.(1) Such peremptory grounds are available for the continuance of any type of proceeding and the extension of any type of deadline pertaining to a criminal case, civil case, or administrative proceeding, if the presence, participation, or involvement of a member or employee is required in any capacity, including any pretrial or post-trial legal proceeding, during:

(a) Any time between thirty days prior to the original call to order and thirty days following the adjournment sine die of any session of the legislature.

(b) Any time between thirty days prior to convening and thirty days following adjournment sine die of any constitutional convention.

(c) Any time other than those provided in Subparagraph (a) or (b) of this Paragraph when such person is engaged in activities, including travel, in connection with or ordered by: (i) the legislature; (ii) any legislative committee or subcommittee appointed by the president of the Senate or the speaker of the House of Representatives; (iii) any committee or commission appointed by the governor or other person authorized to make such appointments; or (iv) any constitutional convention or commission.

(2) Such peremptory grounds are available to any member or employee enrolled as counsel of record when his participation is required. The availability of other counsel to assume the duties or responsibilities of counsel invoking the continuance or extension does not negate the peremptory nature of his motion.

D.(1) A motion for legislative continuance or extension filed by a legislative employee shall be accompanied by an affidavit, verifying such employment or service, executed by the presiding officer or the clerk or secretary of the respective house.

(2) A motion for legislative continuance or extension shall be filed at no cost to a member, employee, or a client of a member or employee.

E.(1)(a) If the grounds for a legislative continuance or extension are founded upon the convening of a regular legislative session or a constitutional convention, the motion for legislative continuance or extension shall be timely if filed no later than five calendar days prior to the hearing or proceeding to be continued.

(b) If the grounds for a legislative continuance or extension are founded upon any provision of Subparagraph (C)(1)(c) of this Section or upon the issuance of a call for an extraordinary session of the legislature, the motion for legislative continuance or extension shall be timely if filed no later than five calendar days prior to the hearing or proceeding to be continued or no later than two days following the issuance of the notice of the meeting or of the call for the extraordinary legislative session, which ever occurs last.

(c) The provisions of this Paragraph shall not be applied so as to impede the peremptory nature of this Section.

(2) Within seventy-two hours of the filing of a motion for a legislative continuance or extension, the court or agency shall grant the continuance or extension ex parte as follows:

(a) If the grounds for the motion are pursuant to Subparagraph (C)(1)(a) or (b) of this Section, the continuance or extension shall be granted for a period of not less than sixty days from the date of adjournment sine die of the session of the legislature or of the constitutional convention.

(b) If the grounds for the motion are pursuant to Subparagraph (C)(1)(c) of this Section, the continuance or extension shall be granted for the day or days the member or employee is engaged in such activities.

F.(1) The provisions of this Section shall not apply to cases in the Supreme Court of Louisiana, criminal cases where the death penalty is sought, and administrative rulemaking authorized by R.S. 49:953.

(2) The provisions of this Section shall not apply to cases and proceedings wherein a member or employee is called as a witness, in which instances the provisions of R.S. 13:3667.1 and 3667.3 shall apply.

G. Any action taken against a person, including any sanction imposed on an attorney, who has filed a motion for legislative continuance or extension and which results from the failure of such person or attorney to appear or comply with an order of the court or agency or any deadline shall be considered an absolute nullity and shall be set aside by the court or agency upon the filing of a motion by the aggrieved person or attorney.

H.(1) Any person or attorney who has filed a motion for legislative continuance or extension which has been denied or which has not been granted within seventy-two hours of filing may apply directly to the Supreme Court of Louisiana for supervisory writs to review the action or inaction of the court or agency where the motion was filed.

(2) If a motion filed pursuant to Subsection G of this Section is denied, such denial shall be an appealable order.

I.(1) For sufficient cause shown, the court shall consider a motion for legislative continuance or extension at any time prior to the hearing or proceeding.

(2) The motion for a legislative continuance may be filed by electronic means such as facsimile transmission or electronic mail, or any other means authorized by law, provided that the mover shall provide all opposing counsel or parties with a copy of the motion, simultaneously with the transmission of the motion to the court.

Acts 1962, No. 78, §1; Acts 1966, No. 186, §2; Acts 1970, No. 681, §1; Acts 1981, No. 332, §1; Acts 1985, No. 276, §1, eff. July 6, 1985; Acts 1990, No. 71, §1, eff. June 27, 1990; Acts 1992, No. 408, §1; Acts 2004, No. 873, §1; Acts 2006, No. 690, §2, eff. June 29, 2006; Acts 2008, No. 865, §1; Acts 2016, No. 101, §1; Acts 2017, No. 363, §1, eff. June 23, 2017; Acts 2018, No. 180, §1.