Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes > Title 11 > Subtitle III > Chapter 3 - District Attorneys' Retirement System

• Accumulated contributions: shall mean the sum of all the amounts deducted from the compensation of a member and credited to his individual account in the annuity savings fund together with regular interest thereon as provided in Part VII of this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1581
• Accumulated employee contributions: means the sum of all amounts deducted from a member's salary and paid to the fund. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1503
• Acquittal:
  1. Judgement that a criminal defendant has not been proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
  2. A verdict of "not guilty."
   
• Actuarial equivalent: shall mean a benefit of equal value when computed upon the basis of such mortality tables as shall be adopted by the board of trustees, and regular interest. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1581
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Affirmed: In the practice of the appellate courts, the decree or order is declared valid and will stand as rendered in the lower court.
• Agency: as used in this Chapter shall have the same meaning ascribed to it as provided in Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Annuity: shall mean payments for life derived from the "accumulated contributions" of a member. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1581
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Applicant: means a person or place of business that makes a formal application for a license, permit, certification, registration, or certificate issued pursuant to this Title. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:1
• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Assembled: means the process of putting together all component parts of an item of equipment by the manufacturer where the assembly plant is located within the territorial borders of the state of Louisiana. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• average final compensation: shall mean the average monthly compensation earned by an employee during any period of sixty successive months of service as an employee during which the earned compensation was the highest. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1581
• Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
• Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
• Beneficiary: shall mean any person designated to receive a pension, an annuity, a retirement allowance or other benefit as provided by this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1581
• Board: means the board of trustees of the Clerks' of Court Retirement and Relief Fund. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1503
• Board of Trustees: shall mean the Board provided for in Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1581
• Business: means any corporation, partnership, individual, sole proprietorship, joint stock company, joint venture, or any other legal entity through which business is conducted. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Cattle: means all bovine animals, regardless of age, including calves. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:2053
• Central purchasing agency: means the office of state procurement. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Change order: means a written order signed by the procurement officer, directing the contractor to make changes which the contract authorizes the procurement officer to order without the consent of the contractor. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Chief procurement officer: means the person holding the position created in Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Clerk of court: An officer appointed by the court to work with the chief judge in overseeing the court's administration, especially to assist in managing the flow of cases through the court and to maintain court records.
• Collecting person: means :

  (a)  Any person who makes payment to a producer for cattle purchased in Louisiana. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:2053

• Competitive negotiation: means to negotiate for a contract through a request for proposals process or any other similar competitive selection process. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Competitive sealed bidding: means the receipt of bids protected from inspection prior to bid opening. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• consulting service: includes the procurement of supplies and services by a contractor without the necessity of complying with provisions of the Louisiana Procurement Code when such supplies and services are either for insurance procured directly by a licensed insurance producer pursuant to Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
• Contract: means all types of state agreements, regardless of what they may be called, including orders and documents purporting to represent grants, which are for the purchase or disposal of supplies, services, major repairs, or any other item. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Contract modification: means any written alteration in specifications, delivery point, rate of delivery, period of performance, price, quantity, or other provisions of any contract accomplished by mutual action of the parties to the contract. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Contractor: means any person having a contract with a governmental body. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Cooperative purchasing: means procurement conducted by or on behalf of more than one public procurement unit or by a public procurement unit with an external procurement activity or by a private procurement unit. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Council: means the Louisiana Beef Industry Council established under this Part to administer and govern the program. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:2053
• Court: means the Nineteenth Judicial District located in Baton Rouge and, in the event of an appeal from such a court, the First Circuit Court of Appeal located in Baton Rouge. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Creditable service: shall mean service for which credit is allowable as provided in La. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1581
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Data: means recorded information, regardless of form or characteristic. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Debarment: means the disqualification of a person to receive invitations for bids or requests for proposals, or the award of any contract by any governmental body, for a specified period of time commensurate with the seriousness of the offense or the failure or the inadequacy of performance. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Defense attorney: Represent defendants in criminal matters.
• Department: means the Department of Agriculture and Forestry. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:1
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Deposition: An oral statement made before an officer authorized by law to administer oaths. Such statements are often taken to examine potential witnesses, to obtain discovery, or to be used later in trial.
• Designated beneficiary: means the person most recently designated in writing by a member to receive any benefits to which he may be entitled. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1503
• Designee: means a duly authorized representative of a person holding a superior position. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• Donor: The person who makes a gift.
• Earnable compensation: shall mean the full rate of compensation that would be payable to the member (employee) if he worked the full working time, including the expense allowance paid to the district attorney by the state of Louisiana. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1581
• Electronic: means electrical, digital, magnetic, optical, electromagnet, or any other similar technology. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Employee: means any regular employee of a clerk, minute clerk, and employees of the Louisiana Clerks of Court Association, the Louisiana Clerks' of Court Retirement and Relief Fund, and the Louisiana Clerks of Court Insurance Fund, who works more than an average of twenty hours per week. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1503
• Employee: shall mean any district attorney of the state of Louisiana, or any assistant district attorney in any parish of the state of Louisiana. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1581
• Employee: means an individual drawing a salary from a governmental body, whether elected or not, and any nonsalaried individual performing personal services for any governmental body. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Employer: shall mean any parish in the state of Louisiana; the state of Louisiana, or the police jury or any other governing body of a parish or political corporation or subdivision of the state of Louisiana which employs and pays persons as district attorneys or assistant district attorneys. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1581
• En banc: In the bench or "full bench." Refers to court sessions with the entire membership of a court participating rather than the usual quorum. U.S. courts of appeals usually sit in panels of three judges, but may expand to a larger number in certain cases. They are then said to be sitting en banc.
• Entitlement: A Federal program or provision of law that requires payments to any person or unit of government that meets the eligibility criteria established by law. Entitlements constitute a binding obligation on the part of the Federal Government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security and veterans' compensation and pensions are examples of entitlement programs.
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• Executor: A male person named in a will to carry out the decedent
• External procurement activity: means any buying organization not located in this state which, if located in this state, would qualify as a public procurement unit. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
• Federal Reserve System: The central bank of the United States. The Fed, as it is commonly called, regulates the U.S. monetary and financial system. The Federal Reserve System is composed of a central governmental agency in Washington, D.C. (the Board of Governors) and twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks in major cities throughout the United States. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• Fiscal year: means the calendar period beginning July 1 and ending June 30 following. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:2053
• foreign representative: shall mean a person in a foreign country whose education and experience qualify such person to represent the state in such foreign country. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Forgery: The fraudulent signing or alteration of another's name to an instrument such as a deed, mortgage, or check. The intent of the forgery is to deceive or defraud. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Fund: means the Clerks' of Court Retirement and Relief Fund. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1503
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Governmental body: means any department, office, division, commission, council, board, bureau, committee, institution, agency, government corporation, or other establishment or official of the executive branch of state government. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Governmental entity: means any governmental unit which is not included in the definition of "governmental body" in this Section. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Grant: means the furnishing by the state of assistance, whether financial or otherwise, to any person to support a program authorized by law. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Guarantor: A party who agrees to be responsible for the payment of another party's debts should that party default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• In forma pauperis: In the manner of a pauper. Permission given to a person to sue without payment of court fees on claim of indigence or poverty.
• in writing: means the product of any method of forming characters on paper, other materials, or viewable screen, which can be read, retrieved, and reproduced, including information that is electronically transmitted and stored. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Indemnification: In general, a collateral contract or assurance under which one person agrees to secure another person against either anticipated financial losses or potential adverse legal consequences. ^{Source: FDIC}
• Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
• Inter vivos: Transfer of property from one living person to another living person.
• Invitation for bids: means all documents, whether attached or incorporated by reference, utilized for soliciting bids in accordance with the procedures set forth in Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Joint committee: Committees including membership from both houses of teh legislature. Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Juror: A person who is on the jury.
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Livestock: means any animal bred, kept, maintained, raised, or used for show, profit, or for the purpose of selling or otherwise producing crops, animals, or plant or animal products for market. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:2130
• Local public procurement unit: means any parish, city, town, governmental body, and any other subdivision of the state or public agency thereof, public authority, public educational, health, or other institution, and to the extent provided by law, any other entity which expends public funds for the acquisition or leasing of supplies, services, major repairs, and construction, and any nonprofit corporation operating a charitable hospital. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Major repairs: means those repairs payable with funds appropriated in the general appropriations act, except those funds transferred from the operating budget of one governmental body to supplement and complete a project under contract by the division of administration facility planning and control section. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Medical board: shall mean the State Medical Disability Board. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1581
• Member: shall include any employee, as defined in Paragraph (10) of this Section, included in the membership of this system as provided in Part II of this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1581
• Membership service: shall mean service for which credit is allowable as provided in La. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1581
• Minor child: means a child who is less than the age of eighteen years or who has a physical or mental disability, regardless of age, who is the issue of a marriage of the member or former member, the legally adopted child of a member or former member, the natural child of a female member or former member, or the child of a male member or former member if a court of competent jurisdiction has, during the lifetime of such male member or former member, issued an order of filiation declaring the paternity of such male member for the child. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1503
• Monthly average final compensation: means the average of a member's monthly salary during the highest compensated sixty consecutive months or successive joined months if service was interrupted. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1503
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Negotiation: means the formulation of a contractual relationship through discussions as may be allowed under this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Performance-based energy efficiency contract: means a contract for energy efficiency services and equipment in which the payment obligation for each year of the contract is either:

              (a) Set as a percentage of the annual energy cost savings attributable to the services or equipment under the contract. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556

• Person: means an individual or any legal or commercial entity, including a corporation, business trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, or joint venture. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:1
• Person: means any natural person, partnership, corporation, company, association, society, trust, or other business unit or organization. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:2053
• Person: means any business, individual, union, committee, club, or other organization or group of individuals. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Petit jury: A group of citizens who hear the evidence presented by both sides at trial and determine the facts in dispute. Federal criminal juries consist of 12 persons. Federal civil juries consist of six persons.
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• Plea agreement: An arrangement between the prosecutor, the defense attorney, and the defendant in which the defendant agrees to plead guilty in exchange for special considerations. ^Source:
• Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
• Practicable: means that which can be done or put into practice; feasible. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Prior service: shall mean service rendered prior to the date of the establishment of this retirement system for which credit is allowable as provided in La. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1581
• Private procurement unit: means any regionally accredited independent college or university in the state that is a member of the Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and Universities or any early learning center as defined in Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Procurement: means the buying, purchasing, renting, leasing, or otherwise obtaining any supplies, services, or major repairs. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Procurement officer: means any person authorized by a governmental body, in accordance with procedures prescribed by regulations, to enter into and administer contracts and make written determinations and findings with respect thereto. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Producer: means any person who owns or acquires ownership of cattle, except that a person shall not be considered to be a producer if the person's only share in the proceeds of a sale of cattle or beef is a sales commission handling fee or other service fee. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:2053
• Professional service: means work rendered by an independent contractor who has a professed knowledge of some department of learning or science used by its practical application to the affairs of others or in the practice of an art founded on it, which independent contractor shall include but not be limited to lawyers, doctors, dentists, psychologists, certified advanced practice nurses, veterinarians, architects, engineers, land surveyors, landscape architects, accountants, actuaries, and claims adjusters. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Public procurement unit: means either a local public procurement unit or a state public procurement unit. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Purchasing agency: means any governmental body which is authorized by this Chapter or its implementing regulations, or by way of delegation from the state chief procurement officer, to contract on its own behalf rather than through the central contracting authority of the office of state procurement. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Qualified group purchasing organization: means a service organization, whether for profit or not, with a membership of at least fifteen hospitals within the United States, which contracts with suppliers for supplies and materials used in hospitals and makes such contracts available to its members. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Recourse: An arrangement in which a bank retains, in form or in substance, any credit risk directly or indirectly associated with an asset it has sold (in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles) that exceeds a pro rata share of the bank's claim on the asset. If a bank has no claim on an asset it has sold, then the retention of any credit risk is recourse. ^{Source: FDIC}
• Regular interest: shall mean interest compounded annually at such a rate as shall be determined by the board of trustees in accordance with Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1581
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Remand: When an appellate court sends a case back to a lower court for further proceedings.
• Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
• Request for proposals: means all documents, whether attached or incorporated by reference, utilized for soliciting proposals in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Rescission: The cancellation of budget authority previously provided by Congress. The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 specifies that the President may propose to Congress that funds be rescinded. If both Houses have not approved a rescission proposal (by passing legislation) within 45 days of continuous session, any funds being withheld must be made available for obligation.
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• Retirement: shall mean withdrawal from active service with a retirement allowance granted under the provisions of this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1581
• Retirement allowance: shall mean the sum of the "annuity" and the "employers' annuity" or any optional benefit payable in lieu thereof. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1581
• Retirement System: shall mean the District Attorneys' Retirement System as defined in Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1581
• Reverse auction: means a competitive online solicitation process on the internet for materials, supplies, services, products, equipment, or consulting services in which vendors compete against each other online in real time in an open and interactive environment. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Service: shall mean service rendered as an employee as described in Paragraph (10) of this Section. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1581
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• Services: means the furnishing of labor, time, or effort by a contractor whose primary purpose is to perform an identifiable task rather than to furnish an end item of supply. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Signature: means a manual or electronic signature. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Social service: means work rendered by any person, firm, corporation, organization, governmental body, or governmental entity in furtherance of the general welfare of the citizens of Louisiana, including but not limited to the objectives provided for in Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Specification: means any description of the physical or functional characteristics, or of the nature of a supply, service, or major repair. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• State chief procurement officer: means the person holding the position created in Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• State public procurement unit: means the central purchasing agency and any other purchasing agency of this state. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Supplemental agreement: means any contract modification which is accomplished by the mutual action of the parties. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Supplies: means all property, including but not limited to equipment, materials, insurance, and leases on immovable property excluding land or a permanent interest in land. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Surviving spouse: means the spouse of a deceased member or former member who was married to and living with the deceased member or former member at the time of his death. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1503
• Suspension: means the disqualification of a person to receive invitations for bids or requests for proposals, or the award of a contract by the state, for a temporary period pending the completion of an investigation and any legal proceedings that may ensue because a person is suspected upon probable cause of engaging in criminal, fraudulent, or seriously improper conduct or failure or inadequacy of performance which may lead to debarment. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trust account: A general term that covers all types of accounts in a trust department, such as estates, guardianships, and agencies. ^{Source: OCC}
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• Uniform Commercial Code: A set of statutes enacted by the various states to provide consistency among the states' commercial laws. It includes negotiable instruments, sales, stock transfers, trust and warehouse receipts, and bills of lading. ^{Source: OCC}
• Using agency: means any governmental body of the state which utilizes any supplies, services, or major repairs purchased under this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:1556
• Variable Rate: Having a "variable" rate means that the APR changes from time to time based on fluctuations in an external rate, normally the Prime Rate. This external rate is known as the "index." If the index changes, the variable rate normally changes. Also see Fixed Rate.
• Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• Veto: The procedure established under the Constitution by which the President/Governor refuses to approve a bill or joint resolution and thus prevents its enactment into law. A regular veto occurs when the President/Governor returns the legislation to the house in which it originated. The President/Governor usually returns a vetoed bill with a message indicating his reasons for rejecting the measure. In Congress, the veto can be overridden only by a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House.