Authorizes the creation of a civil protective order online application portal. (8/1/26)

Senate Bill 259 amends Louisiana Revised Statutes 46:2136.2 by adding a new subsection H that authorizes the judicial administrator's office of the Louisiana Supreme Court to develop and implement a statewide online portal through which petitioners may file petitions for protective orders. The bill creates a narrow exemption from existing affirmation requirements established in R.S. 46:2134(D), providing that petitions filed through the online portal shall not require the written affirmation signed and dated by the petitioner under penalty of perjury that is otherwise mandated for ex parte temporary restraining order requests. This exemption applies to all protective orders authorized under the relevant statutory part, not merely temporary restraining orders.

The practical effect of this legislation is to reduce procedural barriers for individuals seeking protective orders in domestic violence and abuse situations. Petitioners using the online portal will no longer need to obtain a witness signature and printed name on their petition affirmation, which eliminates a logistical step that may be particularly burdensome for those seeking immediate protection. This streamlined process applies statewide to any qualifying protective order filed through the portal, affecting domestic violence victims, stalking victims, and other protected classes eligible for orders under Louisiana law. However, petitions filed through traditional paper or in-person methods remain subject to the existing affirmation and witness requirements, meaning the exemption applies exclusively to digital submissions.

The bill operates within the existing framework of the Louisiana Protective Order Registry, a statewide database administered by the judicial administrator's office that collects abuse prevention order data from courts, law enforcement, and private process servers. The authorization granted by this legislation falls within the existing authority and administrative structure already in place for registry management. The exemption from the affirmation requirement is narrowly tailored to portal filings only, preserving the historical perjury safeguard for all other submission methods, which implicates considerations of fraud prevention and evidentiary integrity in the domestic violence protective order context. The bill becomes effective August 1, 2026.