Louisiana allows electronic access to protected witness videotapes for defense attorneys

Original title: CRIMINAL/PROCEDURE: Provides relative to the electronic access of videotaped statements of protected persons

Last action · May 11, 2026: Effective date: 08/01/2026.Sponsors: Jeremy LaCombe and 5 others

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What This Bill Does

Louisiana law now permits courts and attorneys to fulfill legal requirements for sharing videotaped statements of protected witnesses by providing secure electronic viewing access, effective August 1, 2026. Defendants representing themselves without a lawyer remain barred from independent electronic access, and a physical copy must still be played at trial when introduced as evidence.

Why it matters

Criminal defense attorneys and courts gain a secure electronic method to review protected witness testimony without handing over physical media files, altering pretrial procedures across all criminal and juvenile proceedings.

Who It Affects

Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

criminal defendants' attorneys

Defense counsel may now fulfill discovery requirements by receiving secure electronic viewing access rather than physical media copies.

Directly affected

pro se criminal defendants

Defendants representing themselves are barred from obtaining electronic access to copies of protected persons' videotaped statements.

Directly affected

courts

Judicial bodies may accept secure electronic viewing access as satisfying legal copy requirements for protected witness statements.

Key Facts

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can a defendant representing themselves view the videotaped statement electronically?

No. The law explicitly prohibits criminal defendants from gaining independent electronic access to copies of s' videotaped statements.

Does this law eliminate the need to play videotaped statements at trial?

No. The law maintains the requirement that a physical copy of the videotaped statement must be produced at a criminal trial when a party introduces it as evidence.

When does this law go into effect?

The measure takes effect on August 1, 2026.

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Where This Stands

Current status: Signed into law.

Procedural history

20 actions

May 11, 2026SenateEnrolled
Signed by the President of the Senate on 5/7/2026.
May 11, 2026HouseEnrolled
Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 91.
May 11, 2026House
Effective date: 08/01/2026.
May 8, 2026House
Sent to the Governor for executive approval.
May 7, 2026House
Received from the Senate without amendments.
May 7, 2026HouseEnrolled
Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.

Show 14 earlier actions

May 6, 2026SenateFloor
Read by title, passed by a vote of 35 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
Apr 27, 2026SenateFloor
Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
Apr 22, 2026SenateIntroduced
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
Apr 21, 2026SenateCommittee
Reported favorably.
Apr 14, 2026SenateCommittee
Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary C.
Apr 13, 2026Senate
Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
Apr 8, 2026HouseIntroduced
Read by title, returned to the calendar.
Apr 8, 2026House
Called from the calendar.
Apr 8, 2026HouseFloor
Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 99, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
Apr 7, 2026House
Scheduled for floor debate on 04/08/2026.
Apr 1, 2026HouseFloor
Read by title, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
Mar 31, 2026HouseCommittee
Reported favorably (10-0).
Mar 24, 2026HouseIntroduced
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
Mar 23, 2026HouseIntroduced
Read by title. Lies over under the rules.

Version history

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