Read the full stored bill text
ENROLLED
ACT No. 8672026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 1049
BY REPRESENTATIVE OWEN
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 42:15(A), 19(A)(2)(a), and 20(B)(1)(a) and (b), relative to public
3 meetings; to provide for public comment; to provide for the posting of a meeting
4 notice; to provide for the contents of meeting minutes; to provide relative to draft
5 minutes; to require the presence of legal counsel or a member who is trained in open
6 meetings law at a 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. 42:15(A), 19(A)(2)(a), and 20(B)(1)(a) and (b) are hereby amended
9 and reenacted to read as follows:
10 §15. School Board meetings; public comment
11 A. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, each school board subject
12 to the provisions of this Chapter, except as provided in Subsection B of this Section,
13 shall allow public comment at any meeting of the school board prior to taking any
14 vote, subject to reasonable rules, regulations, and restrictions as adopted by the
15 school board. The comment period shall be for each agenda item and shall precede
16 each agenda item.
17 * * *
Page 1 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 1049 ENROLLED
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 * * *
21 B.(1)(a) The minutes shall be public records and shall be available within a
22 reasonable time after the meeting, except where such disclosures would be
23 inconsistent with R.S. 42:16, 17, and 18, or rules adopted under the provisions of
24 R.S. 42:21.
25 (b) A draft copy of the minutes shall be provided to the members of the
26 public body at least five business days before the meeting at which the minutes will
27 be considered for approval.
Page 2 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 1049 ENROLLED
1 (2) If the public body has a website, the public body shall post on its website
2 a copy of the adopted minutes made available pursuant to Subparagraph (a) of
3 Paragraph (1) of this Subsection and shall maintain the copy of those minutes on the
4 website for at least three months after the posting. If the public body is required to
5 publish its minutes in an official journal, the public body shall post its minutes on its
6 website as required by this Paragraph within ten days after publication in the official
7 journal. If the public body is not required to publish its minutes in an official
8 journal, the public body shall post its minutes on its website as required by this
9 Paragraph within a reasonable time after the meeting. The inability of the public to
10 access the public body's website due to any type of technological failure shall not be
11 a violation of the provisions of this Chapter.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
Page 3 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.