Sign Up
HB 481 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

PUBLIC PRINTING: Provides for the cost of publishing official proceedings and public notices

HB 481 sets cost limits for publishing official government notices and proceedings in Louisiana. It requires parishes, municipalities, and school boards to contract with printers for these publications, capping rates at $0.03 per character or $2.76 per square inch for tables (smaller parishes) and $0.03 per character or $3.96 per square inch (larger parishes with cities over 100,000 residents). The bill establishes specific pricing rules based on notice format and publication size, with rates prorated for non-standard layouts. This directly affects local government entities responsible for publishing public notices and official records.
Issues: ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesSets cost caps on government printing expenses to control spending, promoting fiscal responsibility in budget management without altering tax rates or funding levels.85% confidence
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
May 2026
House Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
May 2026
Signed into Law
Jun 2026
Introduced Feb 26, 2026 Signed Jun 23, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB481 Original → HB481 Act 924 · 3 edits
MINOR
This bill updates the maximum rates parishes can pay for publishing official proceedings and public notices. It raises the per-character cost limit for parishes with large cities from 2 cents to 3 cents and increases the rate for smaller parishes from 1.5 cents to 2 cents. The bill also adds a new provision allowing parishes to cap their costs at the lower of the new rates or the rate that was in effect on January 1, 2026.
Scope change
The bill applies to all parishes in Louisiana, adjusting the financial thresholds for those with or without cities having populations over 100,000.
FISCAL

Increased the maximum per-character printing rate for parishes without large cities from 1.5 cents to 2 cents.

Increased the maximum per-character printing rate for parishes with cities over 100,000 people from 2 cents to 3 cents.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new rule allowing parishes to limit their printing costs to the lower of the new rates or the rate effective on January 1, 2026.

Floor votes · Senate May 26, 2026 · House Apr 27, 2026

How they voted

34–0
Passed · 6 other
Total votes 40
May 26, 2026
D Democratic12
10 Yea 2
83% Yea
R Republican28
24 Yea 4
85% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
26
Key actions
5
Committee
7
May 26, 2026
Upper · Passed
Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 33 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
upper
May 19, 2026
Committee
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
upper
May 18, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably.
upper
May 5, 2026
Committee
Read by title. Recommitted to the Committee on Local and Municipal Affairs.
upper
May 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
Rules suspended. Recalled from Committee.
upper
Apr 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 77, nays 18. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
lower
Apr 16, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably (10-5).
lower
Mar 9, 2026
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs.
lower
Feb 26, 2026
Committee
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs.
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Neil Riser
Neil Riser
RRepublican
LA
20