House Bill No. 858, introduced by Representative Riser, establishes a public records exemption specifically for Global Positioning System (GPS) data related to wildlife and aquatic life. The bill enacts a new provision in R.S. 44:4(65), which states that any GPS data collected by or in the possession of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries that reveals the location of individual animals will not be subject to public records requirements. This exemption aims to protect sensitive information regarding the locations of individual wildlife and aquatic species.

The proposed law retains existing public records laws while adding this specific exemption. By doing so, it seeks to balance the need for transparency in government data with the necessity of safeguarding the privacy and safety of wildlife populations. The bill underscores the importance of protecting ecological data that could be misused if made publicly accessible.