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Read. Follow. Verify.Louisiana requires online platforms to provide clear child exploitation reporting mechanisms and sets civil penalties for noncompliance
Last action · May 29, 2026: Effective date: 08/01/2026.Sponsor: Laurie Schlegel
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What This Bill Does
Louisiana enacted House Bill 220, known as the PROTECT Act, requiring covered online platforms, video games, messaging apps, and streaming services to provide an easy-to-use mechanism for users to report child sexual abuse material and exploitation. Noncompliant platforms face civil penalties of up to $5,000 per day and additional fines up to $10,000 per violation, enforceable by the attorney general starting August 1, 2026.
Online platforms operating in Louisiana must alter their user interfaces to include a plain-language reporting feature that functions without requiring an account registration, or else incur daily financial penalties and legal costs from the state Department of Justice.
- House Bill 220 was introduced during the 2026 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature by Representative Laurie Schlegel and was signed into law as Act 535. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
covered platform operators
Online platforms, video games, messaging apps, and streaming services must modify their user interfaces to incorporate a plain-language reporting feature and risk civil penalties and legal costs if they fail to comply.
internet users in Louisiana
Users gain a standardized, clear, and account-free method to report suspected child sexual abuse material or exploitation on covered platforms.
Department of Justice
The department receives authority to conduct investigations, bring civil actions in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court, collect financial penalties, and use those funds to investigate child cyber crimes.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of websites and applications are considered 'covered platforms' under this law?
Are all online services required to add this reporting mechanism?
Does a user need to register for an account to submit a report?
What financial penalties can platforms face for noncompliance?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
22 actions- May 29, 2026HouseEnrolledSigned by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 535.
- May 29, 2026HouseEffective date: 08/01/2026.
- May 28, 2026HouseSent to the Governor for executive approval.
- May 27, 2026HouseEnrolledEnrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
- May 27, 2026SenateEnrolledSigned by the President of the Senate.
- May 26, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, roll called, yeas 91, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.
Show 16 earlier actions
- May 25, 2026HouseScheduled for concurrence on 05/26/2026.
- May 19, 2026HouseReceived from the Senate with amendments.
- May 18, 2026SenateFloorRules suspended. The amended bill was read by title, passed by a vote of 35 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
- May 11, 2026SenateFloorReported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
- May 7, 2026SenateFloorCommittee amendments read and adopted. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
- May 6, 2026SenateReported with amendments.
- Apr 13, 2026SenateCommitteeRead second time by title and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and International Affairs.
- Apr 8, 2026SenateReceived in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
- Apr 7, 2026HouseFloorRead third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 97, nays 0. The bill, having received two-thirds vote of the elected members, was finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
- Apr 1, 2026HouseScheduled for floor debate on 04/07/2026.
- Mar 31, 2026HouseFloorRead by title, amended, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
- Mar 30, 2026HouseReported with amendments (15-0).
- Mar 9, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Commerce.
- Feb 20, 2026HouseFirst appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/20/2026.
- Feb 19, 2026HousePrefiled.
- Feb 19, 2026HouseCommitteeUnder the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Commerce.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
State-Level Enforcement of Online Child Exploitation Reporting
Louisiana establishes a direct state-level civil penalty structure requiring online platforms to implement standardized child exploitation reporting tools backed by the Department of Justice.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.la.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance80How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy35Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
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