§31. Printed matter prohibitions; uniform standards; election material

A.(1) No branch, department, agency, official, employee, or other entity of state government shall print or cause to be printed any bulletin, leaflet, Christmas card, personalized memorandum stationery, or other similar communication, house organ, circular, book, report, or similar publication, except those required by law.

(2) All printed matter so required shall be effected in a uniform manner as to basic content, size, quality of paper, and use of color as contained in standards to be established by the Division of Administration, the legislative budgetary control council, and the judicial budgetary control council. The Division of Administration, legislative budgetary control council, and the judicial budgetary control council shall be empowered to make such exceptions affecting their respective branch of government to the provisions of this Subsection as may be in the best interests of the state of Louisiana.

(3) In addition, the provisions of this Subsection shall not be construed to prohibit the printing or publication of any printed matter required by any federal law or regulation in order that the state or any department or agency thereof may obtain or receive federal funds, grants, or assistance. The provisions of this Section shall apply to printed matter printed pursuant to any such federal law or regulation to the extent that this Section does not conflict with any such law or regulation.

(4) The Louisiana Workforce Commission is not prohibited from printing, or causing to be printed, any statistical or other information, including legal publications, relating to employment conditions of workers or other publications, not required by law, that would be helpful to any person affected by laws or rules and regulations of the commission.

(5) The Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism is not prohibited from printing, or causing to be printed, any new promotional materials that enhance the development and implementation of cultural, recreational, and tourism programs when funds have been appropriated for that purpose.

(6) The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is not prohibited from printing, or causing to be printed, any new promotional materials that enhance the development and implementation of natural, recreational, and tourism programs when funds have been appropriated for that purpose.

B.(1)(a) All printed matter, except documentation in connection with proceedings of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of state government, printed or caused to be printed by any branch, department, agency, official, employee, or other entity of state government, shall contain the following statement, with required information inserted, printed on the publication adjacent to the identification of the agency responsible for publication: "This public document was published at a total cost of $_____. (number) copies of this public document were published in this (number) printing at a cost of $_____. The total cost of all printings of this document, including reprints is $_____. This document was published by (name and address of person, firm, or corporation or agency which printed the material) to (statement of purpose) under authority of (citation of law requiring publication or of special exception by division of administration, the legislative budgetary control council, or the judicial budgetary control council as provided in Subsection A of this Section). This material was printed in accordance with the standards for printing by state agencies established pursuant to R.S. 43:31." If the printing of the material was not done by a state agency, the above statement shall include the following additional language: "Printing of this material was purchased in accordance with the provisions of Title 43 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes." This statement shall be printed in the same size type as the body copy of the document and shall be set in a box composed of a one-point rule.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph or of Subsection C of this Section, the legislative budgetary control council may determine at a meeting of the council the form and the content of any such statement for matter printed by the House of Representatives or any member thereof or the Senate or any member thereof.

(2) The provisions of this Subsection shall not apply to the following:

(a) Any leaflet, postcard, brochure of no more than two pages, or magazine, if the magazine contains the statement "Paid for with public funds provided by the people of Louisiana" and is sent exclusively to persons or entities located outside of the state, used by the Department of Economic Development for the purpose of promoting economic development within the state of Louisiana.

(b) Any leaflet, postcard, brochure of no more than two pages, or magazine, if the magazine contains the statement "Paid for with public funds provided by the people of Louisiana" and is sent exclusively to persons or entities located outside of the state, used by the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism to promote culture, recreation, or tourism.

(c) Any printed matter used by a public institution of postsecondary education that is an academic or scholarly document or that is a leaflet, postcard, or brochure of no more than two pages designed to promote the institution.

(d) Any reports, research, or studies of a medical center or health care institution in the health care services division of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.

(3) The Department of Economic Development, the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, each public institution of postsecondary education, and each medical center and health care institution in the health care services division of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center shall submit a report to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget within forty-five days of the close of each fiscal year. Each report required by this Paragraph shall contain information regarding actual expenses associated with the printed matter provided for in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection for the fiscal year being reported and, if required by R.S. 43:31.1, shall include a copy of the needs assessment performed in the manner provided by R.S. 43:31.1 for each publication in the fiscal year being reported.

C. The following three factors shall be utilized in computing cost data:

(1) Preparation of the public document for publication;

(2) Printing, including all expenditures for reproduction, whether on bid or in-house;

(3) Circulation, including all estimated expenditures for postage and distribution of the public document.

D. No branch, department, agency, official, employee, or other entity of state government shall expend funds of, administered by, or under the control of any branch, department, agency, employee, official, or other entity of state government to print material or otherwise to urge any elector to vote for or against any candidate or proposition on an election ballot nor shall such funds be used to lobby for or against any proposition or matter having the effect of law being considered by the legislature or any local governing authority. This provision shall not prevent the normal dissemination of factual information relative to a proposition on any election ballot or a proposition or matter having the effect of law being considered by the legislature or any local governing authority.

E. No public official of any branch, department, agency, or other entity of state or local government shall affix his or her name or picture on drivers' licenses, except their own personal driver's license, issued by the state, or any publicly owned motor vehicle, nor shall any such official cause his name or picture to be so affixed.

F.(1) Any administrative head of any branch, department, agency, or entity who violates any provision of this Section and any employee who, without the authorization of his administrative superior, violates any provision of this Section shall be personally liable for the cost of any printing in violation of this Section. Any funds of, administered by, or under the control of any branch, department, agency, official, employee, or other entity of state government expended on any printing in violation of this Section may be recovered by the state in a civil action instituted by the attorney general or any taxpayer.

(2) Any person who violates the provisions of this Section shall be assessed a fine by the court of not more than five hundred dollars.

Added by Acts 1976, No. 442, §1. Amended by Acts 1978, No. 130, §1; Acts 1979, No. 655, §1; Acts 1981, No. 652, §1, eff. July 20, 1981; Acts 1983, No. 390, §1; Acts 1986, No. 813, §1; Acts 1989, No. 440, §1; Acts 1995, No. 549, §1; Acts 1997, No. 9, §1; Acts 2004, No. 138, §2; Acts 2006, No. 535, §1, eff. June 22, 2006; Acts 2008, No. 743, §7, eff. July 1, 2008; Acts 2010, No. 574, §1.