CRIME/SEX OFFENSES: Creates the crime of unlawful exposure by an inmate (EN SEE FISC NOTE GF EX)

Crime Labor

Enacted

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

Sponsor: Gabe Firment
Last action: 2026-05-15
Official status: Signed by the Governor - Act 151
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Unlawful Exposure by an Inmate

This act creates a new crime called 'unlawful exposure by an inmate' and sets penalties for inmates who expose their private parts to correctional facility employees with certain intentions.

What This Bill Does

Creates the crime of unlawful exposure by an inmate, which happens when an adult inmate exposes their intimate parts to a correctional facility employee with the intent of arousing or gratifying sexual desires or intimidating or harassing the employee.
Defines 'correctional facility' as any jail, prison, penitentiary, temporary holding center, or detention facility.
Defines 'intimate parts' as including genitals, pubic hair, anus, vulva, and female breast nipples of the inmate.
Sets penalties for violating this law: up to three years in prison with a fine of $2,500 for first-time offenders; up to five years in prison with a fine of $25,000 for repeat offenders.
Amends existing laws to include 'unlawful exposure by an inmate' as a sex offense.

Who It Names or Affects

Adult inmates who are incarcerated in adult facilities.
Correctional facility employees.

Terms To Know

correctional facility: Any jail, prison, penitentiary, temporary holding center, or detention facility.
intimate parts: Genitals, pubic hair, anus, vulva, and female breast nipples of the inmate.

Limits and Unknowns

The law only applies to adult inmates in adult facilities.
It does not specify if there are any exceptions or defenses for this crime.

Amendments

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

House Committee Amendment #2983 ACRJ Adopted

Adopted

Plain English: HCAHB320 4274 2983 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice to Original House Bill No.

HCAHB320 4274 2983 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice to Original House Bill No.
320 by Representative Firment 1 AMENDMENT NO.
1 2 On page 1, line 10, after "for" delete the remainder of the line and insert "an adult inmate 3 who is incarcerated in an adult facility" 4 AMENDMENT NO.
2 5 On page 1, line 17, after "any" delete the remainder of the line and at the beginning of line 6 18, delete "institution" and insert "adult jail, prison, penitentiary" 7 AMENDMENT NO.

House Committee Amendment #2870 ACRJ Draft

Draft

Plain English: HCAHB320 4274 2870 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice to Original House Bill No.

HCAHB320 4274 2870 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice to Original House Bill No.
320 by Representative Firment 1 AMENDMENT NO.
1 2 On page 1, line 10, after "for" delete the remainder of the line and insert "an adult inmate 3 who is incarcerated in an adult facility" 4 AMENDMENT NO.
2 5 On page 1, line 17, after "any" delete the remainder of the line and at the beginning of line 6 18, delete "institution" and insert "adult jail, prison, penitentiary" 7 AMENDMENT NO.

Bill History

2026-05-15 H
Effective date: 08/01/2026.
2026-05-15 H
Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 151.
2026-05-14 H
Sent to the Governor for executive approval.
2026-05-14 S
Signed by the President of the Senate.
2026-05-13 H
Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
2026-05-13 H
Received from the Senate without amendments.
2026-05-12 S
Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 26 yeas and 8 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
2026-05-04 S
Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
2026-04-29 S
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
2026-04-28 S
Reported favorably.
2026-04-14 S
Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary C.
2026-04-13 S
Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
2026-04-09 H
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 76, nays 18. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
2026-04-08 H
Scheduled for floor debate on 04/09/2026.
2026-04-07 H
Read by title, amended, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
2026-04-01 H
Reported with amendments (12-0).
2026-03-09 H
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
2026-02-27 H
First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.
2026-02-24 H
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
2026-02-24 H
Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

CRIME/SEX OFFENSES: Creates the crime of unlawful exposure by an inmate (EN SEE FISC NOTE GF EX)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

ENROLLED
ACT No. 1512026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 320
BY REPRESENTATIVE FIRMENT
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 15:541(24)(a) and to enact R.S. 14:406, relative to offenses
3 affecting law enforcement; to create the crime of unlawful exposure by an inmate;
4 to provide for definitions; to provide for penalties; to provide with respect to sex
5 offender registration and notification requirements; and to provide for related
6 matters.
7 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 14:406 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
9 §406. Unlawful exposure by an inmate
10 A. It is unlawful for an adult inmate who is incarcerated in an adult facility
11 to expose his or her intimate parts to any correctional facility employee with the
12 intent of doing any of the following:
13 (1) Arousing or gratifying the sexual desires of the inmate.
14 (2) Intimidating or harassing a correctional facility employee.
15 B. For the purposes of this Section, the following terms have the following
16 meanings:
17 (1) "Correctional facility" means any adult jail, prison, penitentiary,
18 temporary holding center, or detention facility.
19 (2) "Correctional facility employee" means an employee of any adult jail,
20 prison, penitentiary, temporary holding center, or detention facility.
21 (3) "Intimate parts" means the genitals, pubic hair, anus, vulva, or female
22 breast nipples of the inmate.
Page 1 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 320 ENROLLED
1 C.(1) Whoever violates the provisions of this Section shall be imprisoned
2 with or without hard labor for not more than three years, fined not more than two
3 thousand five hundred dollars, or both.
4 (2) Upon a second or subsequent conviction, the offender shall be
5 imprisoned with or without hard labor for not more than five years, fined not more
6 than twenty five thousand dollars, or both.
7 (3) Any sentence imposed pursuant to this Section shall run consecutively
8 to any other sentence being served by the offender at the time of the offense.
9 Section 2. R.S. 15:541(24)(a) is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
10 §541. Definitions
11 For the purposes of this Chapter, the definitions of terms in this Section shall
12 apply:
13 * * *
14 (24)(a) "Sex offense" means deferred adjudication, adjudication withheld,
15 or conviction for the perpetration or attempted perpetration of or conspiracy to
16 commit human trafficking when prosecuted under the provisions of R.S.
17 14:46.2(B)(2), R.S. 14:46.3 (trafficking of children for sexual purposes), R.S. 14:89
18 (crime against nature), R.S. 14:89.1 (aggravated crime against nature), R.S.
19 14:89.2(B)(3) (crime against nature by solicitation), R.S. 14:80 (felony carnal
20 knowledge of a juvenile), R.S. 14:81 (indecent behavior with juveniles), R.S. 14:81.1
21 (pornography involving juveniles) which occurred prior to August 1, 2025, R.S.
22 14:81.2 (molestation of a juvenile or a person with a physical or mental disability),
23 R.S. 14:81.3 (computer-aided solicitation of a minor), R.S. 14:81.4 (prohibited
24 sexual conduct between an educator and student), R.S. 14:82.1 (prostitution; persons
25 under eighteen), R.S. 14:82.2(C)(4) or (5) (purchase of commercial sexual activity),
26 R.S. 14:83(B)(2) or (3) (soliciting for prostitutes), R.S. 14:92(A)(7) (contributing to
27 the delinquency of juveniles), R.S. 14:93.5 (sexual battery of persons with
28 infirmities), R.S. 14:106(A)(5) (obscenity by solicitation of a person under the age
29 of seventeen), R.S. 14:283 (video voyeurism), R.S. 14:41 (rape), R.S. 14:42
30 (aggravated or first degree rape), R.S. 14:42.1 (forcible or second degree rape), R.S.
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 320 ENROLLED
1 14:43 (simple or third degree rape), R.S. 14:43.1 (sexual battery), R.S. 14:43.2
2 (second degree sexual battery), R.S. 14:43.3 (oral sexual battery), R.S. 14:43.5
3 (intentional exposure to HIV), a second or subsequent conviction of R.S. 14:283.1
4 (voyeurism), R.S. 14:406 (unlawful exposure by an inmate), or a second or
5 subsequent conviction of R.S. 14:89.3 (sexual abuse of an animal), committed on or
6 after June 18, 1992, or committed prior to June 18, 1992, if the person, as a result of
7 the offense, is under the custody of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections
8 on or after June 18, 1992. A conviction for any offense provided in this definition
9 includes a conviction for the offense under the laws of another state, or military,
10 territorial, foreign, tribal, or federal law which is equivalent to an offense provided
11 for in this Chapter, unless the tribal court or foreign conviction was not obtained with
12 sufficient safeguards for fundamental fairness and due process for the accused as
13 provided by the federal guidelines adopted pursuant to the Adam Walsh Child
14 Protection and Safety Act of 2006.
15 * * *
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.