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HLS 26RS-1410 ENGROSSED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 1049
BY REPRESENTATIVE OWEN
PUBLIC MEETINGS: Provides relative to public meetings
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 42:19(A)(2)(a) and 20(A)(3) and (B) and to enact R.S. 42:14(F),
3 relative to public meetings; to provide for the posting of a meeting notice; to provide
4 for the contents of meeting minutes; to provide relative to draft minutes; to require
5 the presence of legal counsel or a member who is trained in open meetings law at a
6 meeting of a public body; and to provide for related matters.
7 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 42:19(A)(2)(a), and 20(A)(3) and (B) are hereby amended and
9 reenacted and R.S. 42:14(F) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
10 §14. Meetings of public bodies to be open to the public
11 * * *
12 F. A public body shall ensure that legal counsel is present at each meeting
13 of the public body or that the member of the public body presiding over the meeting
14 has a general understanding of the provisions of this Chapter. A member is deemed
15 to have a general understanding of the provisions of this Chapter if he has received
16 training on the provisions of this Chapter using materials approved by the attorney
17 general for that purpose.
18 * * *
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HLS 26RS-1410 ENGROSSED
HB NO. 1049
1 §19. Notice of meetings
2 A.
3 * * *
4 (2) Written public notice given by all public bodies, except the legislature
5 and its committees and subcommittees, shall include but need not be limited to:
6 (a) Posting a copy of the notice at the principal office of the public body
7 holding the meeting in a manner in which the notice may be read by the public, or
8 if no such office exists, at the building in which the meeting is to be held so that the
9 notice may be read by the public; or by publication of the notice in an official journal
10 of the public body no less than twenty-four hours, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays,
11 and legal holidays, before the scheduled time of the meeting. If the public body has
12 a website, additionally by providing notice via the Internet on the website of the
13 public body for no less than twenty-four hours, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and
14 legal holidays, immediately preceding the meeting. The failure to timely post notice
15 via the Internet pursuant to this Subparagraph or the inability of the public to access
16 the public body's website due to any type of technological failure shall not be a
17 violation of the provisions of this Chapter.
18 * * *
19 §20. Written minutes
20 A. All public bodies shall keep written minutes of all of their open meetings.
21 The minutes to be kept by the legislature and legislative committees and
22 subcommittees shall be governed by the provisions of R.S. 42:21. The minutes of
23 all other public bodies shall include but need not be limited to:
24 * * *
25 (3) The substance of all matters decided,; for each motion made, the name
26 of the member who made the motion and the name of the member who seconded the
27 motion, if applicable; and, at the request of any member, a record, by individual
28 member, of any votes taken.
29 * * *
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HB NO. 1049
1 B.(1)(a) The minutes shall be public records and shall be available within a
2 reasonable time after the meeting, except where such disclosures would be
3 inconsistent with R.S. 42:16, 17, and 18, or rules adopted under the provisions of
4 R.S. 42:21.
5 (b) A draft of the minutes to be adopted shall be made available to the
6 members of the public body within a reasonable time after the meeting, not to exceed
7 one month.
8 (2) If the public body has a website, the public body shall post on its website
9 a copy of the adopted minutes made available pursuant to Subparagraph (a) of
10 Paragraph (1) of this Subsection and shall maintain the copy of those minutes on the
11 website for at least three months after the posting. If the public body is required to
12 publish its minutes in an official journal, the public body shall post its minutes on its
13 website as required by this Paragraph within ten days after publication in the official
14 journal. If the public body is not required to publish its minutes in an official
15 journal, the public body shall post its minutes on its website as required by this
16 Paragraph within a reasonable time after the meeting. The inability of the public to
17 access the public body's website due to any type of technological failure shall not be
18 a violation of the provisions of this Chapter.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 1049 Engrossed 2026 Regular Session Owen
Abstract: Provides for the posting of a meeting notice, for the contents of meeting minutes,
for draft minutes, and requires the presence of legal counsel or a member who is
trained in open meetings law at a meeting of a public body.
Present law (R.S. 42:14) provides that every meeting of a public body shall be open to the
public in most circumstances. Prohibits a public body from taking measures to circumvent
present law. Provides for how votes by members of a public body are to be made and
recorded. Provides that a public body, except a school board, that is holding a public
meeting shall allow public comment at any point during the meeting prior to action on an
item that is on the meeting agenda. Provides that a public body can allow a member of the
pubic with a disability recognized by the Americans with Disabilities Act to participate in
a public meeting via teleconference or video conference and the public body shall adopt
rules, regulations, and procedures to facilitate such participation.
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HLS 26RS-1410 ENGROSSED
HB NO. 1049
Proposed law retains present law and requires a public body to ensure that legal counsel is
present at each public meeting or that the member presiding over the meeting has a general
understanding of the provisions of present law (Open Meetings Law). Provides that
receiving training on the provisions of present law using materials approved by the attorney
general is deemed to satisfy the requirements of proposed law.
Present law (R.S. 42:19) provides that a public body, except the legislature and its
committees and subcommittees, shall give written notice of their regular meetings and that
the notice shall include the dates, times, and places of such meetings. Notices shall also
include the agenda and each item in the agenda be listed separately and described with
reasonable specificity. Provides that agendas shall not be changed less than 24 hrs.,
exclusive of weekends and legal holidays, prior to the scheduled time of the meeting.
Provides a procedure for the public body to take up an item that is not on the agenda.
Provides for agenda requirements when there are more than 50 items on the agenda.
Provides for where a public notice is to be posted.
Proposed law retains present law and requires a public notice to be posted in a manner in
which the notice can be read by the public.
Present law (R.S. 42:20) requires a public body to keep written minutes of all open meetings.
Provides that the minutes for a public body, excluding the legislature and legislative
committees and subcommittees, shall include the following:
(1) The date time, and place of the meeting.
(2) The members of the public body recorded as either present or absent.
(3) The substance of all matters decided, and, at the request of any member, a record by
individual member, of any votes taken.
(4) Any other information that the public body requests be included or reflected in the
minutes.
Proposed law retains present law and additionally provides that for each motion made, the
name of the member who made the motion and the name of the member who seconded the
motion shall be included in the minutes of the public body.
Present law provides that the minutes are a public record and requires the minutes to be
made available within a reasonable time after the meeting, except under certain
circumstances. Provides that if a public body has a website, the public body shall also post
a copy of the minutes on its website.
Proposed law retains present law and provides that a draft of the minutes to be adopted shall
be made available to members within a reasonable time after the meeting, not to exceed one
month. Further provides that if a public body has a website, it shall post the adopted minutes
on its website.
(Amends R.S. 42:19(A)(2)(a), and 20(A)(3) and (B); Adds R.S. 42:14(F))
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