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HLS 26RS-1551 ORIGINAL
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 997
BY REPRESENTATIVE EDMONSTON
OFFICIAL JOURNALS: Provides for publishing information and notices on a political
subdivision's website
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 43:141(A), 145, 150, and 171(A)(1) and (2)(introductory
3 paragraph) and to enact R.S. 43:141(C) and 171(A)(4), relative to the official
4 journals of certain political subdivisions; to authorize a political subdivision to select
5 a newspaper or its official website as its official journal; to provide relative to
6 notification to the secretary of state of the selection of the official journal; to
7 authorize a political subdivision to publish certain required information in a
8 newspaper if it has selected its official website as its official journal; and to provide
9 for related matters.
10 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
11 Section 1. R.S. 43:141(A), 145, 150, and 171(A)(1) and (2)(introductory paragraph)
12 are hereby amended and reenacted and R.S. 43:141(C) and 171(A)(4) are hereby enacted to
13 read as follows:
14 §141. Official journal to be selected by police juries, city and parish councils,
15 municipal corporations, and school boards
16 A. The police juries, city and parish councils, municipal corporations, and
17 school boards in all the parishes, the parish of Orleans excepted, at their first meeting
18 in June of each year, shall select a newspaper or its official website as the official
19 journal for their respective parishes, towns, or cities for a term of one year.
20 * * *
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HLS 26RS-1551 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 997
1 C. If a police jury, city or parish council, municipal corporation, or school
2 board selects its official website as its official journal, it may also publish in a
3 newspaper a copy of the official proceedings and public notices that it is required to
4 publish in its official journal.
5 * * *
6 §145. Municipalities to select newspaper located within their boundaries
7 Municipal corporations shall select an official journal If a municipal
8 corporation selects a newspaper as its official journal, the newspaper shall be
9 published in an office physically located within their municipal boundaries if a
10 newspaper as defined in R.S. 43:140(3) is published therein. If no qualified
11 newspaper is published within the municipal boundaries, a newspaper published in
12 the parish of the municipal corporation which meets the requirements of a newspaper
13 as defined in R.S. 43:140(3) shall be selected.
14 * * *
15 §150. Official journal; notification of secretary of state
16 Prior to January 1, 1985, and at least thirty days after effecting any change
17 in its official journal, each parish, municipality, and school board shall file with the
18 secretary of state the name and address or the web address of its official journal, the
19 effective date of the selection, and the period for which the selection is effective. For
20 purposes of meeting the requirements of Article III, Section 13 of the Constitution
21 of Louisiana, the official journal on file with the secretary of state shall be the
22 official journal of the parish, municipality, or school board.
23 * * *
24 §171. Selection of newspaper official journal
25 A.(1) Levee, drainage, subdrainage, road, subroad, navigation, and sewerage
26 districts, or other political subdivisions of the state and parishes, shall select a
27 newspaper or its official website as the official journal for the political subdivision.
28 The political subdivision shall publish in its official journal have the proceedings of
29 their board and such financial statements required by and furnished to the legislative
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HLS 26RS-1551 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 997
1 auditor published in a newspaper. The newspaper official journal shall be selected
2 at their first meeting in June of each year for a term of one year.
3 (2) The If the official journal is a newspaper, the newspaper:
4 * * *
5 (4) If a levee, drainage, subdrainage, road, subroad, navigation, or sewerage
6 district, or other political subdivision selects its official website as its official journal,
7 it may also publish in a newspaper a copy of the official proceedings and public
8 notices that it is required to publish in its official journal.
9 * * *
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 997 Original 2026 Regular Session Edmonston
Abstract: To authorize certain political subdivisions to select a newspaper or its official
website as its official journal.
Present law (R.S. 43:141) provides that a police jury, city and parish council, municipal
corporation, and a school board in all of the parishes, except in Orleans Parish, shall select
a newspaper as the their official journal at their first meeting in June of each year. Provides
that in any parish that is divided by the Mississippi River and has a population of not less
than 100,000 the governing body shall have the authority to select two official journals for
their respective parishes, one of which shall be located on one bank of the river and the other
on the opposite side of the bank.
Proposed law provides that a police jury, city and parish council, municipal corporation, and
school board in all of the parishes, except in Orleans Parish, shall select a newspaper or its
official website as its official journal. Proposed law otherwise retains present law.
Proposed law provides that if a police jury, city or parish council, municipal corporation, or
school board selects its official website as its official journal, it may also publish in a
newspaper a copy of the official proceedings and public notices that it is required to publish
in its official journal.
Present law (R.S. 43:145) provides that municipal corporations shall select an official journal
published in an office physically located within their municipal boundaries if a newspaper
is published therein. Provides if no qualified newspaper is published within the municipal
boundaries, a newspaper published in the parish of the municipal corporation shall be
selected.
Proposed law retains present law and provides that present law applies if the municipal
corporation has selected a newspaper as its official journal.
Present law (R.S. 43:150) provides that at least 30 days after effecting any change in its
official journal, each parish, municipality, and school board shall file with the secretary of
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HLS 26RS-1551 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 997
state the name and address of its official journal, the effective date of the selection, and the
period for which the selection is effective. Provides the official journal on file with the
secretary of state shall be the official journal of the parish, municipality, or school board.
Proposed law retains present law and provides that if a parish, municipality, or school board
selects its official website as its official journal, the web address shall be provided to the
secretary of state.
Present law (R.S. 43:171) provides that levee, drainage, subdrainage, road, subroad,
navigation, and sewage districts, or other political subdivisions of the state and parishes shall
have the proceedings of their board and financial statements, required by and furnished to
the legislative auditor, published in a newspaper. Provides that the newspaper shall be
selected at the first meeting of the political subdivision in June of each year for a term of one
year. Further provides for the requirements for the selection of the newspaper. Provides for
the selection of a newspaper if there is no newspaper published in the district, political
subdivision, or parish.
Proposed law provides that levee, drainage, subdrainage, road, subroad, navigation, and
sewage districts, or other political subdivisions of the state and parishes shall select a
newspaper or its official website as the official journal for the political subdivision. Provides
that the official journal shall be selected at the first meeting of the political subdivision in
June of each year for a term of one year. Proposed law otherwise retains present law.
Proposed law provides that if a levee, drainage, subdrainage, road, subroad, navigation, or
sewerage district, or other political subdivision selects its official website as its official
journal, it may also publish in a newspaper a copy of the official proceedings and public
notices that it is required to publish in its official journal.
(Amends R.S. 43:141(A), 145, 150, and 171(A)(1) and (2)(intro. para.); Adds R.S.
43:141(C) and 171(A)(4))
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