§259. Department of Justice Legal Support Fund

            A. There is hereby established in the state treasury a special fund to be known as the Department of Justice Legal Support Fund, hereinafter referred to as the "fund". The fund shall be comprised of proceeds recovered by the attorney general on behalf of the state from court judgments, settlements, fines, fees, forfeitures, and penalties; from the recovery or award of any attorney fees as provided in R.S. 42:262; or from proceeds recovered by the attorney general from any other source, which revenues are received by the attorney general for deposit into the fund, except those judgments and recoveries made on or pertaining to any office of risk management litigation, litigation involving the Department of Energy and Natural Resources or the Department of Environmental Quality, or to the settlement funds, judgments, or final disposition of the claims asserted in State of Louisiana v. BP Exploration & Production, et al., consolidated with In Re: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig "Deepwater Horizon" in the Gulf of Mexico, on April 20, 2010, MDL No. 2179 (E.D. La.) (hereinafter "DWH litigation"), as provided in Subsection D of this Section.

            B.(1) After satisfying the requirements of the Bond Security and Redemption Fund as provided in Article VII, Section 9(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana, the treasurer shall transfer into the fund each fiscal year from proceeds received as provided in Subsection A of this Section an amount which together with the balance in the fund as of each July first is sufficient to bring the balance in the fund to ten million dollars annually. Annual deposits into the fund shall not exceed a total of ten million dollars and the balance of the fund shall not exceed ten million dollars. Any proceeds received as provided in Subsection A of this Section, after making the total annual deposit into the fund of ten million dollars shall be deposited into the state general fund.

            (2) The attorney general shall notify the state treasurer, the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, and the commissioner of administration immediately upon receipt of any proceeds received as provided in Subsection A of this Section.

            C.(1) The monies in the fund shall be annually appropriated to the Department of Justice solely for the purposes of defraying the costs of expert witnesses, consultants, contract legal counsel, technology, specialized employee training and education, and public education initiatives. Monies in the fund may also be used to defray the expense of employees hired, including attorneys and support staff, and to pay related expenses to represent the state.

            (2) No employee salary or wages or other expenses, to be paid from the recovery or award of any attorney fees as provided in R.S. 42:262, including the recovery or award of any attorney fees resulting from the Court Order [Regarding Payment of the Gulf States' Attorneys' Fees and Costs] (Rec. Doc. 15441) issued in the DWH litigation on October 5, 2015, shall be paid by the Department of Justice, until funding is approved by the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget.

            (3) Each fiscal year, monies shall be deposited into the fund in an amount sufficient to bring the unencumbered balance in the fund to ten million dollars.

            D. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, no proceeds shall be deposited into the fund from court-awarded judgments and settlements involving the Department of Energy and Natural Resources as specified in R.S. 30:136.3(B)(1), nor any judgments, settlements, or recoveries which are designated for credit to the Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Fund, the Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account, or any other funds administered by the Department of Environmental Quality under the Environmental Quality Act. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, no proceeds shall be deposited into the fund from court-awarded judgments and settlements involving the Department of Transportation and Development. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, no proceeds shall be deposited into the fund from judgments, settlements, or recoveries arising from the DWH litigation, including but not limited to litigation expenses, assessment costs, court costs, or attorney fees.

            E. All unexpended and unencumbered monies in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall remain in the fund. Monies in the fund shall be invested by the treasurer in the same manner as those in the state general fund, and any interest earned on such investment shall be deposited in and credited to the state general fund.

            Acts 2004, No. 586, §1, eff. June 29, 2004; Acts 2005, No. 420, §1, eff. July 1, 2006; Acts 2010, No. 1033, §1, eff. July 1, 2010; Acts 2014, No. 796, §2, eff. June 19, 2014; Acts 2016, No. 601, §4, eff. June 17, 2016; Acts 2018, No. 612, §16, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2019, No. 404, §1, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2023, No. 150, §20, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.