Provides for the creation of the "Louisiana Voluntary Do Not Sell List"

HB 563 creates the Louisiana Voluntary Do Not Sell Firearms Act by enacting new R.S. 13:753.1 and amending existing firearm statutes. The bill establishes a voluntary opt-in registry that allows individuals to request addition to and removal from the Louisiana Voluntary Do Not Sell List, which functionally prohibits them from receiving or possessing firearms. Individuals may submit registration forms through four channels: in person to a parish clerk of court with photo identification, to a healthcare provider with identity verification, by mail to the state police with a photocopy of government-issued identification, or electronically to state police with a government-issued photo identification and a timestamped photograph. The state police must enter registered individuals into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System and other federal or state computer systems within twenty-four hours of receiving the form. The bill amends R.S. 14:95.1.4 to make it illegal to transfer a firearm to anyone whose name appears on the list, and adds a new offense allowing fines up to one hundred dollars or four hours of community service for persons on the list who knowingly receive or possess a firearm. The bill also amends R.S. 44:4.1(B)(6) to create a public records exception for all information obtained and produced under the new list provision.

The practical effect of this legislation extends across multiple groups and entities. Individuals who voluntarily register on the list become subject to firearm transfer restrictions and face penalties if they subsequently possess or receive firearms. Those seeking removal may do so through a standard process beginning seven days after registration, which takes effect on the twenty-first day, or through expedited district court proceedings that require a forty-eight-hour hearing where the court determines whether removal is voluntary and knowing. Clerks of court must verify identity and transmit forms to state police by end of business day. Healthcare providers must verify identity before accepting forms and electronically deliver them to state police. Insurers are prohibited from inquiring about list status or modifying policies based on registration and face fines up to forty thousand dollars for violations. Employers cannot inquire about list status unless firearm possession is a job requirement and cannot take adverse employment actions based on registration, with the same forty thousand dollar fine cap. Housing discrimination based on list status is prohibited under existing fair housing law with a one hundred thousand dollar maximum penalty. Public educational institutions and healthcare providers are restricted from inquiring about or denying services based on list status. Government benefits cannot be conditioned on or altered by list status. Additionally, anyone coercing another person to add or remove their name faces up to one year imprisonment.

This legislation operates within Louisiana's existing framework governing firearm prohibitions and public records law. The bill interacts with present law R.S. 14:95.1.4 concerning illegal transfers of firearms to prohibited possessors, now expanding the definition of prohibited recipient to include list members. The registration system feeds into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, a federal database maintained to prevent prohibited individuals from purchasing firearms, effectively integrating state-level voluntary registrants into the federal background check mechanism. The bill creates confidentiality protections by amending R.S. 44:4.1(B)(6) to exempt list records from Louisiana's public disclosure requirements, with narrow exceptions permitting disclosure only to law enforcement acting in official capacity, parties in criminal prosecutions, and individuals requesting information about their own records. The legislation invokes existing perjury statutes by making false statements regarding list status subject to R.S. 14:123 penalties. The bill's prohibitions on insurer and employer inquiries and housing discrimination integrate with Louisiana's existing fair housing law framework contained in R.S. 51:2603 and R.S. 51:2606. The provision allowing district courts to conduct expedited removal hearings operates within existing civil procedure and reflects constitutional considerations regarding due process and voluntary relinquishment of rights.