Louisiana
One facet of Louisiana’s public records law is never enforced • Alabama Reflector
Officials in Louisiana will soon be free to disregard state public records law at no risk if Gov. Jeff Landry signs into law a bill that currently sits on his desk. One expert says it will change nothing because courts have never enforced that part of the law anyway.
House Bill 768, sponsored by Rep. Les Farnum, R-Sulphur, repeals a statute within the public records law that makes the records custodian of a government agency personally liable for unreasonably withholding records or failing to respond to a public records request.
Under current law, courts can consider custodian liability when a requester sues the government agency that withheld the records. The custodian can be forced to pay a fine of $100 per day and attorney fees of the person who was denied access to the records.
Farnum’s bill repeals that provision, stating that “no person shall be liable for any penalty … attorney fees and other costs of litigation assessed for failure to comply” with the law. Instead, the government body shall be responsible for such penalties.
Some lawmakers argued public records custodians have little authority in how to respond to requests and merely serve as liaisons between the person making the request and the public official who ultimately decides whether to provide or withhold a record.
During House floor debate on the bill in April, Farnum said it is unfair to hold custodians personally liable because they “are probably very low-paid employees just doing what they’re told to do.”
Current law says differently. Such low-level employees don’t fit the definition of “custodian,” and a government agency can choose whether and whom to designate as an official records custodian. At larger agencies, it is often a division head or staff attorney. Many smaller government offices don’t have a designated custodian. If that is the case, the law defines the custodian as the head of the agency or the official who has actual control over a public record.
Also, current law provides an exception that states a custodian shall not be held personally liable if they deny a records request on the advice of an attorney representing the agency.
Rather than providing a shield for low-paid employees just following orders, Farnum’s bill would likely protect the wallets of officials at the very top who issue those orders to withhold records from the public — shifting the entire financial penalty onto taxpayers.
Some lawmakers during the floor debate pointed out that without personal liability, government officials will have little reason to follow the law when it comes to public records. But according to one public records expert, that is pretty much the situation already in Louisiana.
Scott Sternberg, a First Amendment lawyer who represents members of the Louisiana Press Association in public records disputes, said the legislation is unlikely to make things worse than they already are because courts almost never enforce the custodian liability law.
Sternberg defended The Advocate reporter Andrea Gallo, who then-Attorney General Landry sued in 2021 for filing a public records request with his office. Many critics saw the move as an obvious, if not egregious, violation of the public records law. The judge ruled against Landry but denied the reporter’s claim for penalties under the statute that Farnum’s bill is repealing.
“That’s not [a bill] that I was particularly interested in because it never happens anyway,” Sternberg said in a text message.
Farnum’s legislation sailed through the Capitol with little scrutiny in a session that saw multiple bills that threatened to weaken or repeal state public records law, most spearheaded by the governor.
Sternberg focused more on a measure from Sen. Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek, that would have almost entirely negated the public records law, and a proposal by Rep. Michael Melerine, R-Shreveport, that would have exempted the governor from having to follow the public records law. Neither made it through the Legislature.
Also notable was a bill from Rep. Steven Jackson, D-Shreveport, that will allow local governments to hide economic development records from the public for up to two years. That proposal passed the Legislature and is also pending consideration by the governor.
Louisiana lawmakers have gradually chipped away at the state’s public records law, adopting hundreds of changes to revoke public access to a long list of government documents since it was enacted in 1940.
Louisiana
Missing Louisiana teenager found in sheet-covered box in basement of Pittsburgh home, police say
A teenage girl reported missing in Louisiana was found in a basement in Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights neighborhood, police said.
Neighbors say they heard police executing a search warrant at a home on Davis Avenue shortly after 7 p.m. on Thursday. That’s when police say they found the 13-year-old girl in a box covered with a sheet in the basement of the home.
Pittsburgh SWAT officers executed the search warrant and arrested 26-year-old Ki-Shawn Crumity, who police say kept the girl in the basement for days.
U.S. Marshals say this was part of a week-long investigation that began in Louisiana, when police there contacted the marshals for help in locating the missing girl. That investigation led them to Columbus, Georgia, where they arrested 62-year-old Ronald Smith.
Police say Smith and another man brought the girl from Baton Rouge to Georgia and then put her on a bus to Pittsburgh. A criminal complaint says the missing girl was then seen at a bus station in Washington, D.C., with a woman.
Police say the woman offered to help the girl then accompanied her to Pittsburgh and to Crumity’s house on Davis Avenue, where police say the three of them slept in the same bed in the basement. Police say Crumity had met the girl on Snapchat and told her that he would arrange for her to be adopted by a trusted adult.
Police say Crumity provided the girl with alcohol and edibles on the first day in the house. Crumity allegedly went on to have sex with the girl multiple times over a few days.
On Thursday, Pittsburgh police received a ChildLine report from the U.S. Marshals about the missing girl and then located her at Crumity’s house.
Crumity is in the Allegheny County Jail on multiple charges, including trafficking, sexual assault and corruption of a minor.
The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Oct. 30, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from Oct. 30 drawing
3-9-7
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from Oct. 30 drawing
6-7-1-5
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 5 numbers from Oct. 30 drawing
1-3-6-0-7
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.
By mail, follow these instructions:
- Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
- Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
- Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
- Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.
Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:
Louisiana Lottery Headquarters
555 Laurel Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:
555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.
Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.
When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
- Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
- Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Louisiana
How many people in Louisiana could lose SNAP? What to know about state’s food stamp program
Video of Akron-Canton Foodbank preparing to help SNAP recipients
Colleen Benson, senior director of development at the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, reassures families that it is ready to provide food resources.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the most effective anti-hunger program in the U.S., reaching around 41 million people in 2024, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).
This program plays a critical role in reducing poverty, improving health and economic outcomes, supporting people who are paid low wages, as well as serving as the first line of defense against hunger during economic downturns.
In Louisiana, hundreds of thousands of residents rely on SNAP, with more than 16% of the state’s population receiving SNAP benefits, according to the USDA.
Who all benefits from SNAP? What to know in Louisiana
SNAP helped approximately 41,697,500 people in the U.S., which is 12% of the total population, or one in eight citizens, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).
In 2024, SNAP helped 847,100 people in Louisiana, or 18% of the state’s population, which equates to one in five residents, according to the CBPP.
In Louisiana, over 69% of SNAP participants are in families with children, over 37% are in families with members who are older adults or are disabled, and over 35% are in working families, says the CBPP.
Majority of SNAP participants in the state have incomes below the poverty line, with 41% having income at or below 50% of the poverty line, 44% having income between 51 to 100% of the poverty line and 15% having income 100% above the poverty line, according to CBPP’s analysis of USDA data.
Many households in Louisiana struggle to put food on the table, with 16.2% of households living in food insecurity, 18.9% of the population living below the poverty line, 25% of children living in families below the poverty line and 14.2% of older adults living below the poverty line, according to the CBPP.
What benefits do SNAP participants receive in Louisiana?
SNAP benefits are targeted according to need, with very low-income households receiving more in benefits than households closer to the povery line because they need more assistance affording adequate food.
In Louisiana, SNAP participants received approximately $1.9 billion in benefits in 2024, according to the CBPP.
These were the average monthly SNAP benefits for the fiscal year 2022 in Louisiana, according to a data analysis by CBPP:
- All households: $336
- Households with children: $551
- Working households: $418
- Households with older adults: $150
- Households with non-elderly disabled individuals: $276
Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for Gannett/USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at PTyler@Gannett.com
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