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Committee backs bill to make statewide website the official journal for public notices, adopts transparency safeguards
Summary
House Bill 526 would make a Division of Administration website the state's official journal for notices and requires certain boards and commissions information to be posted online; the committee adopted amendments to address compliance timing and newspaper-equivalent protections.
The Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee reported House Bill 526 as amended, a measure sponsored in the House to designate a state-maintained website as the official journal for certain public notices and to require posting of boards-and-commissions information online.
Sponsor Rep. Landry and administration officials said the move would modernize publication procedures, meet federal accessibility requirements and save taxpayers money over time; amendments were added to address the secretary of state's implementation concerns and to preserve avenues for printed newspapers under defined conditions.
Rep. Landry told senators the bill "aims to strengthen transparency measures while effectively serving as a doge [sic] package that will save Louisiana taxpayers money over the long run." Officials from the Division of Administration and the secretary of state's office discussed technical changes: the committee adopted an amendment (17-29) to ensure the secretary of state could transmit acts and joint resolutions to the official journal within existing statutory time limits if the administration's site was temporarily unavailable, and other amendments pushed the effective date and clarified procurement and posting requirements.
Senators asked for additional guardrails; the committee adopted an amendment moving the effective date to July 1, 2026, and language permitting the state to publish notices in printed newspapers that "maintain a website and are selected in a competitive bid process" where that is necessary or more efficient. Officials said the administration has funds and an in-progress boards-and-commissions database and that the change is part of a governor's transparency initiative.
After the amendments were adopted, the committee reported HB 526 as amended. Supporters said the change will improve public access while saving money. Opponents who raised concerns sought clarification about accessibility standards, timelines and how local newspapers would be treated; the final amendment package attempted to address those concerns and provide time for the technical transition.
