How to Request a Public Record from the Louisiana House of Representatives

The Louisiana Public Records Law, La. Const. Art. XII, Sec. 3 and R.S. 44:1 et seq, grants any person a right to examine and copy public documents in the possession of the state and its political subdivisions, including the Louisiana Legislature.

The Clerk of the House of Representatives, Michelle Fontenot, is the custodian of the records of the House of Representatives.

All public records requests:

• Must be in writing either through USPS or by e-mail to the Clerk, Michelle Fontenot.
• Must specify, to extent possible, the exact record(s) requested.
• Must contain the name of the requestor and a return address, phone number, or e-mail contact.

After the Clerk receives the request, the records will be compiled and the charges calculated and the requestor will be notified of the charges pending.

Copies of records cost $0.40 per page. In addition, if the records are to be mailed to the requestor, there will be a charge for the actual cost of mailing the records.

All charges must be paid in advance of the records being supplied, and payment should be made payable to Louisiana House of Representatives, and mailed to P. O. Box 44281, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-4281 or hand-delivered to Room G-106, State Capitol, Baton Rouge, LA.

Upon receipt of the payment due, the records will be supplied.

Important Notice

• No duty exist under law to create a record which is not otherwise created or maintained in the normal course of business of the House of Representatives.
• Some legislative records are privileged pursuant to La. Const. Art. III, Sec 8 and the Clerk is required to review all requested documents to ensure compliance with this Constitutional guarantee afforded to legislators.
• The Clerk reserves the right to determine the method of record delivery as dictated by the volume of records requested and the form in which the original records exist.