DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part of the
legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute part of the law
or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP ORT DIGEST
HB 82 2019 Regular Session DeVillier
Keyword and oneliner of the instrument as it left the House
ELECTIONS/BOND & TAX: Requires disclosure and publication of costs for bond, debt, and tax
elections
Report rejects Senate amendments which would have:
1. Removed the requirement to include the estimated cost of the election in the pre-election
notice.
Report amends the bill to:
1. Provide that the estimated cost of the election determined by the secretary of state also be
based upon actual costs of similar elections.
Digest of the bill as proposed by the Conference Committee
Present law (R.S. 18:1400.1 et seq.) provides relative to the election costs to be paid by the secretary
of state and governing authorities and provides the manner in which such expenses may be prorated
between the state and all local entities participating in the election.
Present law further requires that notice of the election shall be given and provides for the content of
the notice. Provides that notice of the election shall be published once a week for four consecutive
weeks in the official journal of the political subdivision, or, if there is none, then in a newspaper of
general circulation in the parish or, if there is no newspaper of general circulation in the parish, then
in a newspaper of general circulation in an adjoining parish. Provides that not less than 45 days nor
more than 90 days shall intervene between the date of the first publication and the date of the
election.
Proposed law further requires the notice to contain the estimated cost of the election as determined
by the secretary of state based upon the provisions of present law and actual costs of similar
elections. Present law requires the governing authority to promulgate the result of the election by one
publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the political subdivision or, if there is none, in
a newspaper of general circulation in the parish or, if there is no newspaper of general circulation
in the parish, then in a newspaper of general circulation in an adjoining parish.
Proposed law adds a requirement that the governing authority include in the publication a statement
of the actual cost of the election as determined by the secretary of state in accordance with present
law.
Provides that the provisions of proposed law are applicable to all bond, debt, and tax elections called
after Sept. 23, 2019.
(Amends R.S. 18:1292; Adds R.S. 18:1285(A)(1)(a)(v))