LEGISLATIVE FISCAL OFFICE
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note On: HB 103 HLS 24RS 400
Bill Text Version: ENROLLED
Opp. Chamb. Action:
Proposed Amd.:
Sub. Bill For.:
Date: May 29, 2024 4:07 PM Author: JOHNSON, MIKE
Dept./Agy.: Parish/Municipal Governments and School Boards
Subject: Broadcasting Government Meetings Analyst: Garrett Ordner
PUBLIC MEETINGS EN INCREASE LF EX See Note Page 1 of 2
Requires certain public bodies to broadcast meetings live via television or the internet
Proposed law requires each school board and parish governing authority in a parish with a population of 25,000 or more and
each governing authority of a municipality with a population of 10,000 or more to broadcast live all its public proceedings in
meetings, including its committee meetings. Proposed law exempts from this requirement all city council committees in
which the members are volunteers. Proposed law defines "broadcast live" as the publicly available distribution of audio and
video of the meeting in real or near real time via the internet or television broadcast. Proposed law excludes executive
sessions from the requirement to broadcast live and provides that the failure of a public body subject to proposed law to
broadcast live due to a technological failure beyond the control of the public body or beyond its ability to resolve timely shall
not be a violation of law. Proposed law requires public bodies subject to the requirement to broadcast live to include on its
meeting notice sufficient information to enable the public to locate the broadcast for viewing.
EXPENDITURES 2024-25 2025-26 2026-27 2027-28 2028-29 5 -YEAR TOTAL
State Gen. Fd. $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Agy. Self-Gen. $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Ded./Other $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Federal Funds $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Local Funds INCREASE INCREASE INCREASE INCREASE INCREASE
Annual Total
REVENUES 2024-25 2025-26 2026-27 2027-28 2028-29 5 -YEAR TOTAL
State Gen. Fd. $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Agy. Self-Gen. $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Ded./Other $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Federal Funds $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Local Funds $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Annual Total $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
EXPENDITURE EXPLANATION
Proposed law will result in an increase in expenditures of school boards, parish governments, and municipal governments to
broadcast meetings over television or the Internet to the extent that these entities do not already do so. This includes up-
front equipment costs in FY 25 as well as ongoing costs for staff to operate the equipment. The amount of this cost increase
is indeterminable and will depend upon the equipment and methods used to broadcast the meetings.
According to the 2020 census, 37 Louisiana parishes have 25,000 or more residents. In addition to the 37 parish school
boards operating within these parishes, there are also five community school boards located within these parishes. Finally,
there are 30 cities with 10,000 or more residents (excluding consolidated governments) for a total of 109 governing
authorities subject to the proposed law. A cursory survey of these governing authorities for the availability of online meeting
videos revealed approximately 40 to 50 of these governing authorities do not make their meetings available as either a live
broadcast or an uploaded recording.
Costs associated with broadcasting meetings will vary significantly depending on the equipment and methodology used to
broadcast the meeting. The lowest-cost option may be a smartphone broadcasting to a free streaming platform such as
YouTube or Facebook Live. This may not carry any cost; however, it may result in such poor audio and video quality that
viewers cannot understand what is being discussed. Costs for dedicated broadcasting equipment will vary significantly
depending on the specific equipment that governing authorities use for their broadcasts. For example, the LFO corresponded
with two school districts regarding the equipment they currently use for broadcasting school board meetings. One school
district reported using a $50,000 audiovisual configuration in its meeting room, including three cameras that cost
approximately $2,500 each. Conversely, another reported using two Panasonic HC-V180 cameras, which retail for
approximately $250 each, in addition to other equipment for video and audio mixing.
EXPENDITURE EXPLANATION CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO
REVENUE EXPLANATION
There is no anticipated direct material effect on governmental revenues as a result of this measure.
Senate Dual Referral Rules House
13.5.1 >= $100,000 Annual Fiscal Cost {S & H} 6.8(F)(1) >= $100,000 SGF Fiscal Cost {H & S}
13.5.2 >= $500,000 Annual Tax or Fee Patrice Thomas
6.8(G) >= $500,000 Tax or Fee Increase
Change {S & H} or a Net Fee Decrease {S} Deputy Fiscal Officer
 LEGISLATIVE FISCAL OFFICE
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note On: HB 103 HLS 24RS 400
Bill Text Version: ENROLLED
Opp. Chamb. Action:
Proposed Amd.:
Sub. Bill For.:
Date: May 29, 2024 4:07 PM Author: JOHNSON, MIKE
Dept./Agy.: Parish/Municipal Governments and School Boards
Subject: Broadcasting Government Meetings Analyst: Garrett Ordner
CONTINUED EXPLANATION from page one: Page 2 of 2
EXPENDITURE EXPLANATION CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE
In addition to cameras, equipment that governing authorities may choose to utilize includes dedicated microphones, a video
switcher for switching between multiple cameras, an audio mixer for mixing multiple audio sources, and a dedicated
computer for streaming meetings to the Internet. Most government entities currently use YouTube as their streaming
platform, which allows for free streaming of meetings. In addition, free broadcasting software is also available which can be
used to switch between video sources. Governing authorities may use existing staff, part-time staff, student workers, or
interns to operate equipment. Alternatively, governing authorities may contract with videographers to broadcast meetings.
As an illustrative example, if 50 governing authorities purchased a single USB camera at $250 and broadcasted to YouTube
using an existing computer, statewide equipment costs would sum to $12,250 in the first year. If these governing authorities
spent $30 per hour for four hours per month in labor costs to operate the broadcast, statewide labor costs would sum to
$72,000 per year. Again, actual costs will vary significantly among governing authorities and are indeterminable.
Senate Dual Referral Rules House
13.5.1 >= $100,000 Annual Fiscal Cost {S & H} 6.8(F)(1) >= $100,000 SGF Fiscal Cost {H & S}
13.5.2 >= $500,000 Annual Tax or Fee Patrice Thomas
6.8(G) >= $500,000 Tax or Fee Increase
Change {S & H} or a Net Fee Decrease {S} Deputy Fiscal Officer


Statutes affected:
HB103 Original:
HB103 Engrossed:
HB103 Enrolled:
HB103 Act :