US Laws, Codes, Statutes & Cases

§31.5.  Legislative assistants for members

A.(1)  Each member of the legislature may employ one or more legislative assistants, who shall be employed as unclassified state employees.  The total salary of such assistant or assistants shall not exceed the applicable monthly salary as follows:

MONTHLY

STEP

 SALARY

Base

$ 2,000

First

$ 2,083

Second

$ 2,169

Third

$ 2,259

Fourth

$ 2,352

Fifth

$ 2,450

Sixth

$ 2,551

Seventh

$ 2,657

Eighth

$ 2,767

Ninth

$ 2,881

Maximum

$ 3,000

(2)  On and after July 1, 1998, any legislator who has the maximum salary step available to him for his legislative assistants shall have available a step increase of four percent per year for the salary available for his legislative assistants.

(3)  Each legislator shall determine the qualification requirements of his assistant or assistants. However, no person who is a member of the family of the legislator may serve as his legislative assistant.

(4)(a)  Each legislative assistant shall perform such duties as the legislator may assign and shall be paid a salary fixed by the legislator, provided that the salary for any one legislative assistant shall not exceed two thousand dollars per month plus the equivalent of one step for each year of his employment as a legislative assistant or the equivalent of one step for each year of the employing legislator's service as a legislator, at the option of the employing legislator.

(b)  When more than one assistant is employed by a legislator, the total salary shall not exceed two thousand dollars per month plus the equivalent of one step for each year of employment as a legislative assistant or the equivalent of one step for each year of the employing legislator's service as a legislator, at the option of the employing legislator, by all of these assistants.  When part-time help or contractual services are used, the total payments shall not exceed an amount equal to the base salary of a legislative assistant.

(5)  The salary of each legislative assistant shall be paid from the funds of the respective houses, withdrawn from the state treasury and deposited in the manner provided in R.S. 24:31.1, and shall be paid to each individual legislative assistant whose employment and salary have been certified by a member to his respective presiding officer.  Payment shall be by check signed by the speaker of the House of Representatives as to the salary of legislative assistants to House members, and by another member of the Senate designated by the president of the Senate and countersigned by the president of the Senate as to the salary of legislative assistants to Senate members.

(6)  Nothing herein shall prohibit the use of contractual secretarial services in lieu of one or more legislative assistants, nor shall anything preclude two or more legislators from cooperatively employing an assistant or assistants, who may be paid in excess of the salary limits prescribed above, but not in excess of the salary limits available to the cooperating legislators.

B.  Each legislator who employs one or more legislative assistants as provided in this Section shall notify the presiding officer of his house in writing as to the name of each such assistant and the salary to be paid.  Any change of person or salary shall be reported to the presiding officer of his house within ten days after such change.  The respective presiding officer shall hold such reports during the term of office of the legislator involved.

C.(1)  Each legislative assistant employed full time and who either has at least one year of experience or receives at least eighty percent of the total compensation available to the employing legislator for his assistants, including all step increases authorized by law, may participate in the state's group life, health, and hospitalization insurance program and the state employees' retirement system.  Any legislative assistant who does not meet the criteria set forth herein shall not be eligible to participate in these or any other benefits accruing under law to state employees.

(2)  All legislative assistants shall be eligible for workers' compensation coverage as state employees immediately upon employment.

Added by Acts 1972, No. 259, §1.  Amended by Acts 1975, No. 44, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1975; Acts 1979, No. 408, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1979; Acts 1980, No. 493, §1, eff. July 22, 1980; Acts 1983, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 1, §6; Acts 1986, No. 946, §1; Acts 1989, No. 9, §1; Acts 1989, No. 806, §1; Acts 1992, No. 520, §1, eff. June 26, 1992; Acts 1997, No. 1344, §1, eff. July 1, 1997.