PUBLIC PRINTING: Provides for the cost of publishing official proceedings and public notices
Summary
HB 481 revises Louisiana law governing the compensation paid for publishing official proceedings and public notices in official journals of parishes, municipalities, and school boards. The bill increases the maximum per-character publication rates from 1.5 cents to 3 cents in parishes without a city over 100,000 population, and from 2 cents to 3 cents in parishes with a city over 100,000 population. It also updates the related tabular/prebuilt notice rates to $2.76 and $3.96 per square inch, respectively, with prorating rules for larger type or different column widths.
The bill adds a new limitation that the publication cost may not exceed the lesser of the new statutory maximums or the rate in effect on January 1, 2026. It retains existing law allowing official journals to be used by contract and preserves the broader framework for bidding and publication of public notices under R.S. 43:147 and 43:147.2. The House floor amendments removed an earlier provision that would have required parishes, municipalities, and school boards to publish by contract, while keeping the rate changes and adding the January 1, 2026 cap.
Impact
HB 481 amends R.S. 43:147.1 and adds a new subsection limiting publication charges for official proceedings and public notices. It directly affects official journals, local governments, and school boards by changing the maximum compensation rates they may pay for legal notices and public proceedings, while also tying those rates to a January 1, 2026 benchmark to prevent charges from exceeding the prior rate if it is lower. The bill therefore modifies the statutory pricing structure for public notice publication without eliminating existing contracting and bidding options under related provisions.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have received generally favorable legislative support, as reflected by its final House passage on a 73-17 vote and its enactment into law without the Governor’s signature. The available record does not include committee debate or testimony, but the vote margin suggests broad acceptance of the measure’s approach to updating publication rates. At the same time, the amendments indicate lawmakers were attentive to limiting cost increases by adding a cap tied to the 2026 rate.
Contention
The main point of contention appears to have been the balance between increasing publication compensation and controlling public costs. Supporters likely favored raising the outdated per-character and square-inch rates to reflect current publishing costs, while opponents may have been concerned about higher expenses for local governments and school boards. The House floor amendment removing the mandatory contract-publication requirement suggests some disagreement over how prescriptive the bill should be in directing local publication practices, with the final version preserving more flexibility.
Provides for training of elected officials of municipalities and certain municipal employees relative to public contracts. (gov sig) (EN NO IMPACT See Note)