LAW ENFORCEMENT: Provides relative to disclosure of certain law enforcement records
HB 1245 modifies the rules for disclosing criminal history records, commonly known as rap sheets, specifically for individuals who serve as witnesses in criminal cases. The bill expands the definition of who can access these records from just employees to include any person, while also removing specific lines that previously restricted the scope of the record to arrests and prosecutions. By making these textual adjustments, the legislation aims to clarify and broaden the circumstances under which witness criminal histories can be revealed.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Apr 2026
Committee Review
May 2026
House Passage
May 2026
Senate Passage
May 2026
Signed into Law
Jun 2026
Introduced Apr 27, 2026
Signed Jun 2, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 5 comparisons
What changed between versions
HB1245 Original
→
HB1245 Act 722
·
4 edits
MODERATE
This bill simplifies the legislative text by removing unnecessary formatting and consolidating the bill's purpose into a single new statute. It replaces a complex amendment to an existing law with a clear, standalone provision that explicitly protects specific criminal history records from public disclosure.
Scope change
The bill's scope narrowed from amending multiple existing statutes to enacting one specific new statute (R.S. 44:4(65)) that focuses solely on the protection of witness criminal history records.
TECHNICAL
Removed the amendment to R.S. 44:4.1(B)(30), which previously listed general exceptions to public records laws.
Removed the liability protection section for court clerks and replaced it with a general applicability clause for the new statute.
Changed the bill title and sponsor list to reflect the final enrolled version of the act.
REQUIREMENT
Added a new specific requirement that criminal history records of witnesses who are employees of criminal justice agencies must not be disclosed unless voluntarily released, made public, or ordered by a court.
Floor votes · Senate May 26, 2026 · House May 11, 2026
How they voted
37–1
Passed · 2 other
Total votes 40
May 26, 2026
D
Democratic12
75% Yea
R
Republican28
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
18
Key actions
5
Committee
5
May 26, 2026
Upper · Passed
Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 36 yeas and 1 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
upper
May 21, 2026
Committee
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
upper
May 20, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably.
upper
May 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 96, nays 2. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
lower
May 6, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported with amendments (12-0).
lower
Apr 28, 2026
Committee
Read by title, ordered engrossed, recommitted to the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs.
lower
Apr 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read by title, substitute title adopted, lies over in the same order of business, substitute for HB No. 91 reported by the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice (7-0).
lower
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
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