HB 167

ENROLLED
 2026 Regular Session
  ACT No. 785
 HOUSE BILL NO. 167
 BY REPRESENTATIVES FREIBERG AND CHENEVERT
1AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 15:828.5, relative to inmates; to provide for issuance of certain documentation
3and certification to inmates; to provide for criteria; to provide for restrictions; to
4provide for a definition; to provide for duties of the Department of Public Safety and
5Corrections; to provide for duties of the office of motor vehicles; to provide for
6rulemaking; and to provide for related matters.
7 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8Section 1. R.S. 15:828.5 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
9§828.5. Post-release employment; relevant documentation
10A. The Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall provide an inmate
11who has been housed in a state correctional facility, has been released from a term
12of imprisonment that resulted from the commission of a felony offense, and who has
13designated his intended residence within this state with the relevant documentation
14to assist with the obtaining of post-release employment.
15B.(1) The department shall coordinate with the office of motor vehicles to
16do both of the following:
17(a) Identify whether an inmate has any form of a state identification card or
18a driver's license and begin the process of gathering the documentation required for
19the issuance of a special identification card pursuant to R.S. 40:1321 within nine
20months prior to the release of the inmate.
21(b) Provide a special identification card to any eligible inmate who does not
22have a current state identification card or driver's license upon his release from
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 HB NO. 167  ENROLLED
1custody. The special identification card shall be issued, replaced, canceled, and
2denied in the same manner as a driver's license pursuant to Chapter 2 of Title 32 of
3the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.
4(2) The office of motor vehicles shall do both of the following:
5(a)(i) Permit an inmate to use a copy of his birth certificate along with his
6master prison record issued by the department as a valid form of photo identification
7in order to obtain a special identification card.
8(ii) For the purposes of this Subsection, "master prison record" means a
9detailed calculation, maintained by the department, of the prison sentence of an
10inmate that determines his release date and includes credit for time served, good
11behavior, and program participation.
12(b) Determine and assess a reasonable fee for the issuance of a special
13identification card.
14(3) A special identification card issued with a master prison record to an
15inmate is nonrenewable, nontransferable, and is valid for a period of six years from
16the month of issuance.
17(4) The department may utilize any available funds, including but not limited
18to inmate trust funds, existing department funds, and donations to cover the costs
19associated with the implementation and administration of this Section and the
20purchase of special identification cards.
21C. The provisions of this Section apply only to inmates who receive a special
22identification card pursuant to R.S. 40:1321, who are in the physical custody and
23control of the department, and who are housed in a state correctional facility.
24D. For the purposes of assisting an inmate with obtaining post-release
25employment, the department shall provide an inmate with all of the following:
26(1)   A copy of the educational and vocational training credentials or
27certifications of the inmate earned during incarceration, if applicable.
28(2) A copy of the work record of the inmate, if applicable.
29(3) A copy of the birth certificate of the inmate, if obtainable.
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HB NO. 167  ENROLLED
1(4) A social security card or a replacement social security card of the inmate,
2if obtainable.
  SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
  PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
  GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.