The committee adopted an amendment and reported House Bill 123 favorably after testimony from the attorney general's office and a protracted discussion about third‑party electronic filing vendors.

Representative Tanner Carlson, sponsor of HB123, said courts vary in whether they defer e‑filing convenience fees for government filers until final judgment. "The government is billed for the filings even if the government is successful, which conflicts with R.S. 13:5112(A)," Carlson said, arguing for uniformity across circuits.

Carlson offered and the committee accepted a late amendment to add "or third party vendor" to the statutory language so that a vendor who collects convenience fees is included in the deferral. "Sometimes the clerk is not the one charging that fee," Carlson said; the amendment was allowed after the committee waived the usual 24‑hour amendment rule.

Alex Rheinbaugh, director of litigation for the attorney general's office, described the proposal as a cleanup aligning e‑filing practice with earlier legislative intent to defer government fees until the end of a case. "When this statute was enacted, e‑filing wasn't in place," he said.

Members debated practical concerns, such as whether a private hospital owned by a parish could use the government exemption to avoid paying fees while the clerk or a third‑party vendor is left unpaid. Committee members said those are operational issues that might require follow‑up; sponsors emphasized the bill's narrow purpose of clarifying deferral of fees.

The committee adopted the amendment to include third‑party vendors, voted without recorded opposition at the time of the motion, and reported HB123 favorably with amendments.