Provides relative to the official journal of parishes, municipalities, school boards, and other political subdivisions. (gov sig)

Senate Bill 146 amends Louisiana's public notice statutes to authorize political subdivisions to designate a website as an official journal in place of or in addition to a newspaper. The bill creates a new statutory definition of "Website" in R.S. 43:140(6) establishing seven mandatory requirements for qualifying websites, including that they be owned by the governing body, publicly accessible without cost or registration, contain a dedicated section for legal notices clearly labeled and easily navigable, maintain searchable archives for at least one year, post notices timely and unaltered except for noted corrections, comply with Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility standards, and identify a responsible person with contact information. The bill modifies R.S. 43:141(A) to permit police juries, city and parish councils, municipal corporations, and school boards to select either a newspaper or designate a website as their official journal at their June meetings. It amends R.S. 43:141.1 to clarify that the website requirement applies only to newspapers. The bill modifies R.S. 43:143 and 143.1(B)(1) to recognize websites alongside newspapers as official journals and adjusts billing requirements accordingly. Most significantly, the bill adds R.S. 43:144(B) creating a new criminal penalty mirroring existing penalties for those responsible for publishing on a designated website who willfully fail to publish required proceedings within twenty days of receiving a request, imposing fines between twenty-five and five hundred dollars or imprisonment between ten days and six months or both.

The practical effect of this legislation extends to parishes, municipalities, school boards, and various special districts throughout Louisiana, excluding Orleans Parish. Governing bodies now have flexibility to choose digital publication over newspaper publication, potentially reducing costs associated with newspaper advertising while maintaining public transparency. The responsible person identified under the website definition faces criminal liability identical to that previously imposed only on newspaper officials, creating parallel accountability for digital publication failures. Political subdivisions selecting websites must ensure compliance with all seven statutory requirements or risk their designation becoming invalid. Citizens and interested parties gain alternative access to official proceedings through websites rather than relying solely on newspaper publication, though they must now monitor multiple potential sources if some subdivisions choose newspapers and others choose websites.

The bill operates within the existing framework of Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 43 governing public notices and official journals, which has long required political subdivisions to publish official proceedings in designated publications for transparency and record-keeping purposes. Senate Bill 146 modernizes this framework by recognizing digital publication as a legitimate alternative to print media while preserving the substantive requirements for public access, archival, and notice that have characterized Louisiana law. The legislation does not implicate federal constitutional concerns regarding free speech or due process, as it expands rather than restricts avenues for public notice. The accessibility requirements tied to the Americans with Disabilities Act reflect federal compliance obligations applicable to public entities. The extension of these provisions to special districts like levee and drainage districts through R.S. 43:171(D) ensures consistent treatment across all types of state and parish political subdivisions, maintaining the uniform notice standards that have characterized Louisiana's public records law.