COURTS: Provides relative to certain information on court filings

Privacy Taxes

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Nicholas Muscarello
Last action: 2026-05-15
Official status: Became law without the Governor's signature - Act 194
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date is August 1, 2026, not January 1, 2026 as mentioned in the candidate explanation.

Court Filings Privacy Act

This act changes how court filings can be made and what information must be kept private, effective August 1, 2026.

What This Bill Does

Changes the way court documents are filed, allowing them to be submitted in person or electronically starting January 1, 2026.
Requires that certain personal information not be included when filing court papers. This includes social security numbers (excluding the last four digits), tax IDs, driver's license numbers, financial account details, and full dates of birth.

Who It Names or Affects

Lawyers who file court papers
Courts and their staff responsible for managing filings

Terms To Know

Electronic filing: The process of submitting legal documents to a court using the internet or other digital methods.
Private information: Personal data that should not be shared publicly, such as social security numbers (excluding the last four digits) and financial account details.

Limits and Unknowns

The act does not cover expungement proceedings in criminal cases.
It is unclear how the new rules will affect existing paper filing systems before January 1, 2026.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

House Floor Amendment #3008 Muscarello Adopted

Adopted

Plain English: HFAHB141 4872 3008 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY HOUSE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Representative Muscarello to Engrossed House Bill No.

HFAHB141 4872 3008 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY HOUSE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Representative Muscarello to Engrossed House Bill No.
141 by Representative Muscarello 1 AMENDMENT NO.
1 2 On page 2, line 13, after "Code" insert ", except for expungement proceedings," Page 1 of 1 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions.

House Committee Amendment #2570 JUD Adopted

Adopted

Plain English: HCAHB141 4872 2570 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Judiciary to Original House Bill No.

HCAHB141 4872 2570 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Judiciary to Original House Bill No.
141 by Representative Muscarello 1 AMENDMENT NO.
1 2 On page 2, at the beginning of line 12, change “B.” to “B.(1)” 3 AMENDMENT NO.
2 4 On page 2, line 15, after the period "." delete "The" and insert “Except as provided in 5 Subparagraph (2) of this Paragraph, the” 6 AMENDMENT NO.

House Committee Amendment #2344 JUD Draft

Draft

Plain English: HCAHB141 4274 2344 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Judiciary to Original House Bill No.

HCAHB141 4274 2344 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Judiciary to Original House Bill No.
141 by Representative Muscarello 1 AMENDMENT NO.
1 2 On page 2, at the beginning of line 12, change “B.” to “B.(1)” 3 AMENDMENT NO.
2 4 On page 2, line 15, after the period "." delete "The" and insert “Except as provided in 5 Subparagraph (2) of this Paragraph, the” 6 AMENDMENT NO.

Bill History

2026-05-15 H
Effective date: 08/01/2026.
2026-05-15 H
Becomes Act No. 194 without the Governor's signature.
2026-05-11 S
Signed by the President of the Senate on 5/7/2026.
2026-05-08 H
Sent to the Governor for executive approval.
2026-05-07 H
Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
2026-05-06 H
Received from the Senate without amendments.
2026-05-05 S
Read by title, passed by a vote of 36 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
2026-04-27 S
Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
2026-04-22 S
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
2026-04-21 S
Reported favorably.
2026-04-08 S
Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary B.
2026-04-07 S
Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
2026-04-01 H
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 99, nays 1. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
2026-03-31 H
Scheduled for floor debate on 04/01/2026.
2026-03-30 H
Read by title, amended, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
2026-03-26 H
Reported with amendments (12-0).
2026-03-09 H
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
2026-02-13 H
First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/13/2026.
2026-02-13 H
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
2026-02-13 H
Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

COURTS: Provides relative to certain information on court filings

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

ENROLLED
ACT No. 1942026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 141
BY REPRESENTATIVE MUSCARELLO
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact Code of Civil Procedure Article 253(B)(2) and Code of Criminal
3 Procedure Article 14.1(B), relative to private information in court filings; to revise
4 the types of information prohibited in court filings; and to provide for related
5 matters.
6 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. Code of Civil Procedure Article 253(B)(2) is hereby amended and
8 reenacted to read as follows:
9 Art. 253. Pleadings, documents, and exhibits to be filed with clerk
10 * * *
11 B.
12 * * *
13 (2) On and after January 1, 2026, all filings as provided in Paragraph A of
14 this Article and all other provisions of this Chapter filed by an attorney shall only be
15 filed in person in paper form or transmitted electronically in accordance with a
16 system established by a clerk of court or by Louisiana Clerks' Remote Access
17 Authority. The filer shall be responsible for ensuring that private information is not
18 included in filings. No filing shall include the first five digits of any social security
19 number, tax identification numbers, state identification numbers, driver's license
20 numbers, financial account numbers, full dates of birth, or any information protected
21 from disclosure by state or federal law. The clerk of court shall adopt a system for
Page 1 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 141 ENROLLED
1 the electronic filing and storage of any pleading, document, or exhibit filed with a
2 pleading. A pleading or document filed electronically is deemed filed on the date
3 and time stated on the confirmation of electronic filing sent from the system, if the
4 clerk of court accepts the electronic filing. Public access to electronically filed
5 pleadings and documents shall be in accordance with the rules governing access to
6 paper filings.
7 * * *
8 Section 2. Code of Criminal Procedure Article 14.1(B) is hereby amended and
9 reenacted to read as follows:
10 Art. 14.1. Electronic filings
11 * * *
12 B.(1) Beginning January 1, 2026, all filings as provided in this Article and
13 all other provisions of this Code, except for expungement proceedings, filed by an
14 attorney shall only be filed in person in paper form or transmitted electronically in
15 accordance with a system established by a clerk of court or by the Louisiana Clerks'
16 Remote Access Authority. The Except as provided in Subparagraph (2) of this
17 Paragraph, the filer shall be responsible for ensuring that private information is not
18 included in filings. No filing shall include the first five digits of any social security
19 number, tax identification numbers, state identification numbers, driver's license
20 numbers, financial account numbers, full dates of birth, or any information protected
21 from disclosure by state or federal law. The clerk of court shall adopt a system for
22 the electronic filing and storage of any pleading, document, or exhibit other than
23 those documents or exhibits introduced and filed at a hearing or trial. Furthermore,
24 in a court that accepts electronic filings in accordance with this Paragraph, the
25 official record shall be the electronic record. A pleading or document filed
26 electronically is deemed filed on the date and time stated on the confirmation of
27 electronic filing sent from the system, if the clerk of court accepts the electronic
28 filing. Public access to electronically filed pleadings and documents shall be in
29 accordance with the rules governing access to written filings.
Page 2 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 141 ENROLLED
1 (2) Nothing in this Article shall limit the information required to be provided
2 by a prosecuting agency pursuant to Article 388.
3 * * *
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.