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Read. Follow. Verify.Louisiana imposes criminal penalties and fines for unlawful disclosure of confidential information regarding domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking victims
Last action · May 15, 2026: Effective date: 08/01/2026.Sponsors: Mike Johnson and 15 others
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What This Bill Does
Louisiana HB 98 establishes criminal penalties of up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $2,500, or both, for anyone who intentionally releases or discloses confidential information about victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or human trafficking with the intent to coerce, intimidate, or harass. The law becomes effective on August 1, 2026, and explicitly shields community-based shelters from civil liability for unauthorized disclosures made by individuals in violation of these provisions.
Establishes criminal liability including imprisonment and financial penalties for unauthorized leaks of sensitive victim records, while protecting community shelters from being sued for rogue employee or third-party disclosures.
- House Bill 98 was enacted during the 2026 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature and signed into law as Act 119. 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.
Victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking
Their confidential records and abuse status receive added legal protections against intentional publication and harassment.
Community-based shelters
They are explicitly granted immunity from civil liability for unauthorized disclosures of information committed by individual violators.
Insurers and insurance applicants
Their abuse status and related records are subjected to strict disclosure limits and penalty protections.
Key Facts
- Establishes a criminal penalty of imprisonment with or without hard labor for not more than one year, a fine of up to $2,500, or both, for intentionally releasing or disclosing confidential information regarding abuse status with the intent to coerce, intimidate, or harass.
- Exempts community-based shelters and community shelters from liability for unlawful releases or disclosures of information made by individuals in violation of the new prohibitions.
- Applies confidentiality and penalty rules to domestic violence review panel records, ensuring victim and family identities are omitted from publicly available reports.
- Enacts penalties for the unauthorized publication of confidential records concerning minor crime victims, sex offense victims, and human trafficking victims.
Show all 5 facts
- Sets the effective date for the legislation to August 1, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the penalty for unlawfully disclosing confidential victim information under this law?
Are community-based shelters held liable if an individual wrongfully discloses confidential shelter information?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
22 actions- May 15, 2026HouseEnrolledSigned by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 119.
- May 15, 2026HouseEffective date: 08/01/2026.
- May 13, 2026SenateEnrolledSigned by the President of the Senate.
- May 13, 2026HouseSent to the Governor for executive approval.
- May 12, 2026HouseEnrolledEnrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
- May 11, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, roll called, yeas 95, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.
Show 16 earlier actions
- May 7, 2026HouseScheduled for concurrence on 05/11/2026.
- May 6, 2026HouseReceived from the Senate with amendments.
- May 5, 2026SenateFloorThe amended bill was read by title, passed by a vote of 36 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
- Apr 27, 2026SenateFloorReported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
- Apr 22, 2026SenateFloorCommittee amendments read and adopted. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
- Apr 21, 2026SenateReported with amendments.
- Apr 14, 2026SenateCommitteeRead second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary C.
- Apr 13, 2026SenateReceived in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
- Apr 9, 2026HouseFloorRead third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 91, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
- Apr 8, 2026HouseScheduled for floor debate on 04/09/2026.
- Apr 7, 2026HouseFloorRead by title, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
- Apr 1, 2026HouseCommitteeReported favorably (11-0).
- Mar 9, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
- Feb 13, 2026HouseFirst appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/13/2026.
- Feb 9, 2026HousePrefiled.
- Feb 9, 2026HouseCommitteeUnder the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
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
Show 11 more sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.la.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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