Senate Bill No. 493, introduced by Senator Reese, amends the existing public records law in Louisiana to clarify the fees associated with obtaining public records and to enhance access to these records. The bill establishes a fee structure for public records, stating that the first twenty pages will be provided free of charge, with a maximum charge of five cents per page for additional paper copies. It also allows custodians to charge for postage when mailing paper copies and sets a maximum fee of ten dollars for electronic records. Furthermore, custodians are required to provide requestors with the option to receive records electronically and must post their fee schedules on their agency's website.

In addition to these provisions, the bill expands the eligibility for reduced or free access to public records to include nonprofit organizations, alongside indigent citizens. It also prohibits custodians from charging for staff time spent responding to public records requests. The legislation distinguishes between public records of state agencies and other public records, ensuring that the fees for state agency records do not exceed the newly established maximum rates. The changes are set to take effect on August 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
SB493 Original: 44:32(C)(1)