SB 495: ELECTION CODE: Provides for campaign finance disclosures. (8/1/26) - Louisiana

Senate Floor Bureau Note, #2817, Kleinpeter, Adopted → SB495 Act · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill modernizes Louisiana's campaign finance laws by updating numerous statutes to reflect current communication technologies and adding new rules for political advertising. It specifically mandates clear disclosure requirements for 'electioneering communications' on digital platforms, requiring third-party payers to display their names and contact information with specific visibility standards. The act also introduces new definitions for recognized party legislative delegations and parish executive committees, while repealing an outdated provision regarding gubernatorial transition committees.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of campaign finance regulations to include digital media and third-party communications, while updating the legal definitions of political entities to include legislative delegations and parish executive committees.

REQUIREMENT

New mandatory disclosure rules for digital political advertisements require third-party payers to display their full name, address, and phone number with specific visibility and contrast standards.

Updated requirements for political material distribution to ensure false statements about candidates or propositions are clearly prohibited and disclosed.

New provisions establish rules for contributions and expenditures by recognized party legislative delegations and joint fundraising agreements.

DEFINITION

New legal definitions were added for 'recognized party legislative delegation' and 'parish executive committee' to clarify which entities are subject to campaign finance rules.

The definition of 'communication' was removed from the statute, likely to allow for broader or more flexible interpretations of modern media.

REMOVED

Repealed the specific section governing contributions and expenditures by gubernatorial transition or inauguration committees.

SB495 Original → Senate Floor Bureau Note, #2817, Kleinpeter, Adopted · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to clarify the disclosure requirements for electioneering communications. The changes remove a specific legal definition for these communications, adjust the punctuation in the list of covered election types to ensure clarity, and add a comma to a list of political entities to improve grammatical correctness.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's applicability remains focused on campaign finance disclosures, but the definition of 'electioneering communication' was narrowed by removing a cross-reference to another statute.

DEFINITION

Deleted the phrase 'as defined in R.S. 18:1483' to remove a specific legal definition for electioneering communications from the disclosure requirements.

REQUIREMENT

Changed a comma to a semicolon after 'general election' to correct the punctuation separating the list of election types.

TECHNICAL

Added a comma after 'leadership committees' to improve the grammatical structure of the list of political entities.

SB495 Enrolled → SB495 Original · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was reorganized from an enrolled version to an original draft, updating the list of amended statutes to include new sections on electioneering communications and third-party disclosures. The scope of applicability was expanded to cover digital advertisements with specific formatting requirements for third-party funding, and the definition of 'political committee' was broadened to include leadership committees and gubernatorial transition teams.

Scope change

The bill now applies to a wider range of entities, including leadership committees and gubernatorial transition teams, and explicitly covers digital advertisements with new disclosure formatting rules.

REQUIREMENT

Added specific disclosure requirements for digital advertisements, mandating that third-party names appear in text at least as large as the smallest text and have color contrast.

DEFINITION

Expanded the definition of 'committee' to include recognized political party parish executive committees, recognized party legislative delegations, and gubernatorial transition or inauguration committees.

SCOPE

Added new statutory sections covering electioneering communications and third-party entity disclosures.

TECHNICAL

Updated the list of amended statutes to reflect new sections (e.g., 1483(33), 1495.6.1) and repealed sections not present in the enrolled version.

SB495 Reengrossed → SB495 Enrolled · 4 edits · May 28, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was finalized as an enrolled version, adding multiple co-sponsors and correcting the list of amended statutes to include new sections regarding political committee representatives and leadership committees. The substantive policy content regarding electioneering communication disclosures remains consistent with the previous reengrossed version.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include new statutory sections defining political committee representatives, leadership committees, and gubernatorial transition committees, while the core disclosure requirements for electioneering communications remained unchanged.

SCOPE

Added Representatives Bayham, Boudreaux, Devillier, Fisher, Jackson, Knox, Martinez, McFarland, Men, and Wyble as co-sponsors to the bill.

TECHNICAL

Corrected the list of amended statutes to include R.S. 18:1463(H), 1483(7)(a)(vi), and 1483(11)(d)(vi), which define political committee representatives, leadership committees, and inauguration committees.

Removed the repealed section R.S. 18:1491.7(B)(22) from the list of amended statutes, as it was not included in the final enrolled text.

Adjusted page numbering from 20 pages in the reengrossed version to 19 pages in the enrolled version.

SB495 Engrossed → SB495 Reengrossed · 6 edits · May 5, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was reengrossed to correct several statutory citations in the list of laws being amended, ensuring the text accurately references the correct sections of the Louisiana Revised Statutes. Additionally, minor wording adjustments were made to clarify that specific communications must comply with established rules.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's applicability remains unchanged; the revisions are technical corrections to the list of statutes being modified.

TECHNICAL

Corrected the citation for R.S. 1483 from (7)(a)(iv) to (7)(a)(vi) in the list of amended statutes.

Added a new citation for R.S. 1491.6(E) to the list of amended statutes.

Added a new citation for R.S. 1495.5(B)(5) to the list of amended statutes.

Added a new citation for R.S. 1505.2(I)(1)(c)(iii) to the list of amended statutes.

Added a new citation for R.S. 1505.2.1(G)(2) to the list of amended statutes.

Changed the wording regarding electioneering communications to explicitly state they 'shall comply' with the listed items.

ELECTION CODE: Provides for campaign finance disclosures. (8/1/26)

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