Senate Bill No. 41, introduced by Senator Allain, amends R.S. 43:144 to extend the deadline for public bodies, such as municipal corporations, police juries, and school boards, to publish minutes from open meetings. The current law requires these bodies to publish minutes within twenty days; the proposed legislation increases this timeframe to forty-five days. This change aims to provide more flexibility for officials responsible for preparing and recording official proceedings.

Additionally, the bill maintains the penalties for failure to comply with the publication requirement, which can include fines ranging from twenty-five to five hundred dollars, imprisonment for ten days to six months, or both. The new provisions are set to take effect on August 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
SB41 Original: