Committee backs bill to align clerks with secretary of state on protected personal information
Loading...
Summary
HB67 was reported favorable after sponsor Representative Bakula said it brings clerks of court into alignment with the secretary of state's handling of protected individuals' information (statute cited as 44:1102). The Public Affairs Research Council urged broader review, warning of potential constitutional issues.
The committee reported House Bill 67 favorable after the sponsor said the bill aligns clerks of court with the secretary of state's rules on publishing or withholding certain personal information for protected individuals.
Representative Bakula said the statute at issue (cited in committee as 44:1102) already restricts publication of items such as home phone numbers, Social Security numbers and dates of birth for a list of protected individuals. "We need to amend it to have the clerks mirror the secretary of state as far as the required publication or non-publication," Bakula said, describing the bill as an "alignment" measure rather than one that restricts more information.
Steven Procopio, president of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, urged caution and fuller review. "There are constitutional issues," Procopio said, arguing the bill in its current form creates two standards for publicly available information and suggested including the ethics board to avoid conflicting rules.
Bakula responded that the bill opens information to the public under the same limits as the secretary of state and is not intended to curtail lawful public access. The committee adopted the bill and reported it favorable by voice vote with no objection.
The committee did not conduct a roll-call vote; the measure moves forward for further legislative consideration.
