House committee advances bill adding penalty for unlawful release of victim information
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Summary
HB 98 would add criminal penalties for knowingly and unlawfully disclosing confidential information about victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or human trafficking; proponents described real incidents of disclosure harm and sponsors said the measure targets intentional acts, not good‑faith mistakes.
Speaker Pro Tem Mike Johnson presented HB 98 as a narrowly written victims‑protection bill that would add criminal penalties for someone who intentionally and unlawfully releases confidential information about victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or human trafficking.
Laurie Marion of the Governor's Office of Women's Policy and Mariah Waneski of the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence described concrete incidents and the risk to survivors when intake or shelter records are disclosed. Waneski offered a hypothetical in which a shelter employee shares an intake sheet with a relative of an abuser, creating a life‑threatening risk for the survivor.
Defense and civil‑liberties witnesses were present but the sponsor said the bill targets intentional, unlawful disclosures and is not meant to penalize good‑faith mistakes or standard casework. The committee adopted sponsor clarifications and reported HB 98 favorably.
Sponsor remarks emphasized training and narrowly tailored liability: "We're very careful in the way it's written. It applies only to intentional and unlawful disclosures." The bill will proceed to the floor with the committee's recommended posture.
