This bill re-establishes the Department of Public Service in Louisiana and sets a long-term sunset date for its existence. It directs the department to be recreated on June 30, 2026, and requires all its statutory authority to end by July 1, 3031, unless the legislature extends it earlier. The law also updates the state's sunset provisions to include the department and any agencies within it, ensuring they will automatically expire after 55 years unless renewed. This change affects the department's legal framework and requires future legislative action to maintain the agency beyond its automatic termination date.
This bill reorganizes Louisiana's public defender system by creating a new state-level Office of the State Public Defender under the governor's office to oversee and coordinate public defense services across the state. It establishes a Public Defender Oversight Board to supervise the system and grants its members protection from personal liability for official actions, except in cases of gross negligence or willful misconduct. The legislation also clarifies definitions for district public defender employees, adjusts how certain court funds can be used to support indigent defense programs, and sets specific staffing and funding provisions for juvenile public defender positions in Orleans Parish.
This bill would temporarily stop the state from issuing new permits for small bars and restaurants in District 2 of the Louisiana House of Representatives between August 2026 and December 2027. It only affects Class B and Class C licenses for businesses with less than 5,000 square feet of public space, while allowing existing permits to continue if the business stays open and follows all laws. The law also prevents current permit holders in the area from opening additional locations during this period. If the bill becomes law, it would take effect after the governor signs it or after the legislative session ends without a signature.
This bill establishes a temporary moratorium on issuing new permits for selling alcoholic beverages in Louisiana's 3rd House District, effective from August 1, 2025, through December 31, 2032. The restriction applies to individual permit applications but includes an exception for national restaurant or store chains that operate in ten or more states. The law directly affects local businesses seeking to sell alcohol in the district while allowing large national chains to continue applying for permits regardless of the moratorium.
This bill amends Louisiana's Campaign Finance Disclosure Act to clarify how "primary purpose" is defined for political committees. It establishes that a committee's primary purpose is determined by whether contributions or expenditures make up more than 50% of the group's total spending during a calendar year. The change directly affects political associations, parties, and groups by setting a clear threshold for classifying their activities under disclosure laws. This provision helps regulators identify which organizations must comply with campaign finance reporting requirements based on their spending patterns.
This bill requires commercial property owners in Shreveport to demolish their buildings if they receive fire insurance payments and the property becomes dilapidated and dangerous to residents. The law applies retroactively to January 1, 2023, and forward, mandating demolition rather than repair when fire damage leaves structures unsafe. It specifically targets commercial properties in the city that pose health and welfare risks after fire-related insurance claims. The measure gives the city authority to enforce demolition orders under these specific conditions.
This bill authorizes the transfer of approximately 1.16 acres of state-owned land in Natchitoches Parish to an individual named Brian Briggs. The transfer excludes mineral rights and allows the state officials to set terms and receive payment for the property. The law also specifies how the transaction will be documented and when it takes effect.
This bill updates Louisiana's open meetings law to strengthen transparency for public bodies. It requires legal counsel or a trained presiding member at every public meeting, mandates that meeting notices be posted at the public body's office or published in an official journal and online at least 24 hours before the meeting, and specifies that written minutes must include the substance of decisions, motion makers, and seconders. The bill also requires draft minutes to be available to members within one month and mandates that adopted minutes be posted on a public body's website for at least three months. These changes directly affect government agencies, school boards, and other public entities that hold meetings in Louisiana.
This bill strengthens privacy protections for sensitive information handled by child advocacy centers and multidisciplinary investigative teams in Louisiana. It establishes that work product - including forensic interviews, medical records, and case notes - created during child abuse investigations is confidential and exempt from public records requests, subpoenas, and most legal discovery. The law requires these organizations to adopt written confidentiality policies that limit information sharing to authorized team members and allow disclosure only through court orders or specific legal exceptions. These provisions aim to protect the privacy of children and families while enabling professionals to collaborate effectively on abuse investigations.
This bill removes the legal provision that set a termination date for the Louisiana Behavior Analyst Board, allowing the regulatory body to continue operating. By repealing the specific statute that established the board's expiration, the legislation ensures the board remains active for overseeing behavior analysts in the state. The change directly affects the board's ability to regulate professionals and maintain oversight without a fixed end date. No new powers or requirements are added; the bill simply eliminates the existing deadline for the board's existence.
This bill reorganizes the Louisiana Ports and Waterways Investment Commission by moving it from the governor's office to the new Office of Multimodal Commerce within the Department of Transportation and Development. The commission will continue to represent the public interest in port administration, advise the office on port operations, and submit reports and recommendations as needed. Funding for the commission's strategic plan and investment program will require agreement between the Office of Multimodal Commerce and the state legislature. These changes affect the administrative structure of Louisiana's port management without altering the commission's core responsibilities or the ports it serves.
This bill requires all K-12 school employees in Louisiana to immediately report any threats of violence or terrorism to local law enforcement and, if applicable, to the school administrator. It also mandates that law enforcement agencies forward these threat reports to the state's Louisiana Fusion Center within seven days, while protecting the privacy of students and individuals who made the reports. Additionally, the bill establishes a program where the Fusion Center will conduct free physical security assessments of public schools every three years starting in 2027, with optional assessments available for charter and nonpublic schools. The assessments will identify safety vulnerabilities and provide nonbinding recommendations for improvements, but schools are not required to implement these suggestions and will be protected from liability regardless of their decisions.
