HB 38 Louisiana House · 2025 Regular Session

PUBLIC RECORDS: Provides relative to records of prosecutive, investigative, and law enforcement agencies and communications districts

This bill makes a technical correction to Louisiana's public records law by updating statutory references related to law enforcement and investigative agency records. It revises specific sections of Louisiana Revised Statutes 44:3(A) to include the introductory paragraph in the referenced provisions. The bill does not change existing public records access rules or create new requirements - it only clarifies the legal citation. As a procedural amendment, it affects how the law is referenced but not who can access records or what records are public.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2025

Committee Review

May 2025

House Passage

Jun 2025

Senate Passage

May 2025

Signed into Law

Jun 2025

Introduced Mar 6, 2025 Signed Jun 8, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB38 Original → HB38 Act · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill amends Louisiana law regarding public access to law enforcement records. The primary change removes the requirement for initial investigation reports to include the names and identification of witnesses to an alleged offense. This change narrows the scope of information that must be publicly disclosed, protecting witness identities from being automatically revealed in initial reports unless specific legal protections against disclosure already exist.

Scope change

The bill applies to records held by prosecutive, investigative, and law enforcement agencies, including the newly added Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. It specifically alters the contents required in initial investigation reports.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the mandate that initial investigation reports must list the name and identification of every witness to an alleged offense.

Revised the statutory language to clarify that witness names are only exempt from disclosure if prohibited by federal or state law, rather than being automatically excluded from the initial report.

SCOPE

Added the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to the list of agencies whose records are subject to these public record provisions.

Floor votes · Senate May 29, 2025 · House May 6, 2025

How they voted

34–0

Passed · 3 other

Total votes 37

May 29, 2025

D Democratic11

10 Yea 1

90% Yea

R Republican26

24 Yea 2

92% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jun 3, 2025

Lower · Passed

Read by title, roll called, yeas 96, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.

lower

May 29, 2025

Upper · Passed

Rules suspended. The amended bill was read by title, passed by a vote of 36 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

upper

May 27, 2025

Committee

Committee amendments read and adopted. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

upper

May 21, 2025

Upper · Passed

Rules suspended. Reported with amendments.

upper

May 6, 2025

Lower · Passed

Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 95, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

lower

Apr 29, 2025

Lower · Passed

Reported with amendments (14-0).

lower

Apr 14, 2025

Committee

Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs.

lower

Mar 6, 2025

Committee

Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors