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SB41 • 2026

PUBLIC MEETINGS: Expands the number of days required for public bodies to publish minutes for open meetings from twenty days to forty-five days. (8/1/26)

PUBLIC MEETINGS: Expands the number of days required for public bodies to publish minutes for open meetings from twenty days to forty-five days. (8/1/26)

Education
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Robert Allain
Last action
2026-05-20
Official status
Sent to Governor
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide specific details on how penalties are enforced or if it applies to all types of meetings, leaving these points uncertain.

Expanding Time for Publishing Meeting Minutes

This bill changes the time limit for public bodies to publish minutes of their meetings from twenty days to forty-five days.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the law so that public groups must now post meeting notes within forty-five days instead of twenty days.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Public bodies like city councils, school boards, and other government groups that hold open meetings.

Terms To Know

Minutes
A written record of what happens during a meeting, including decisions made and actions taken.
Public bodies
Groups like city councils or school boards that make decisions affecting the public.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how penalties for failing to publish minutes on time will be enforced.
  • It is unclear if this change will affect all types of meetings held by public bodies, such as emergency sessions or special events.

Amendments

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

Filed

Plain English: The amendment reduces the number of days public bodies have to publish minutes from forty-five days to thirty-one days.

  • Reduces the time period for publishing meeting minutes from forty-five days to thirty-one days.
  • The original bill proposed a change from twenty days to forty-five days, but the amendment modifies this to thirty-one days. The exact reasons or impacts of changing it to thirty-one days are not detailed in the provided text.
Adopted

Plain English: HCASB41 4311 4765 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on House and Governmental Affairs to Engrossed Senate Bill No.

  • HCASB41 4311 4765 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on House and Governmental Affairs to Engrossed Senate Bill No.
  • 41 by Senator Allain 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, at the beginning of line 10, delete "forty-five" and insert "thirty-one" Page 1 of 1 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions.
Draft

Plain English: HCASB41 4311 4737 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on House and Governmental Affairs to Engrossed Senate Bill No.

  • HCASB41 4311 4737 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on House and Governmental Affairs to Engrossed Senate Bill No.
  • 41 by Senator Allain 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, at the beginning of line 10, delete "forty-five" and insert "thirty-one" Page 1 of 1 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-20 S

    Sent to the Governor by the Secretary of the Senate.

  2. 2026-05-19 H

    Signed by the Speaker of the House.

  3. 2026-05-19 S

    Enrolled. Signed by the President of the Senate.

  4. 2026-05-18 S

    Amendments proposed by the House read and concurred in by a vote of 36 yeas and 0 nays.

  5. 2026-05-11 S

    Received from the House with amendments.

  6. 2026-05-11 H

    Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 98, nays 0. Finally passed, ordered to the Senate.

  7. 2026-05-07 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 05/11/2026.

  8. 2026-05-06 H

    Read by title, amended, passed to 3rd reading.

  9. 2026-05-05 H

    Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments.

  10. 2026-04-29 H

    Reported with amendments (6-4). Referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  11. 2026-03-25 H

    Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs.

  12. 2026-03-24 H

    Received in the House from the Senate, read by title, lies over under the rules.

  13. 2026-03-23 S

    Read by title, passed by a vote of 34 yeas and 0 nays, and sent to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  14. 2026-03-16 S

    Read by title. Ordered engrossed and passed to third reading and final passage.

  15. 2026-03-11 S

    Reported favorably.

  16. 2026-03-09 S

    Introduced in the Senate; read by title. Rules suspended. Read second time and referred to the Committee on Local and Municipal Affairs.

  17. 2026-02-10 S

    Prefiled and under the rules provisionally referred to the Committee on Local and Municipal Affairs.

Official Summary Text

PUBLIC MEETINGS: Expands the number of days required for public bodies to publish minutes for open meetings from twenty days to forty-five days. (8/1/26)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
2026 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE BILL NO. 41
BY SENATOR ALLAIN
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 43:144, relative to penalties for failure to timely publish minutes;
3 to expand the number of days for publication of minutes; and to provide for related
4 matters.
5 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
6 Section 1. R.S. 43:144 is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
7 §144. Penalty for failure to have proceedings published
8 The official of any municipal corporation, police jury, or school board by law
9 responsible for the preparing and recording of the official proceedings who, within
10 twenty thirty-one days from the date of any meeting at which the official
11 proceedings were had, wilfully neglects or fails to furnish the official journal with
12 a copy of the minutes, ordinances, resolutions, budgets, and proceedings for
13 publication, shall be fined not less than twenty-five dollars nor more than five
14 hundred dollars, or be imprisoned for not less than ten days nor more than six
15 months, or both.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
Page 1 of 1
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.