HB 821

ENROLLED
 2026 Regular Session
  ACT No. 846
 HOUSE BILL NO. 821
 BY REPRESENTATIVE MCFARLAND
1AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 15:1216 and to repeal R.S. 29:726.5, 726.5.1, and 726.6, relative to school and
3nonprofit security; to establish the Louisiana Center for Safe Schools within the
4Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice;
5to provide for duties, powers, administration, cooperative authority, procurement
6authority, data governance, contract and license continuity, and an advisory council;
7to provide for an effective date; and to provide for related matters.
8 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
9Section 1. R.S. 15:1216 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
10§1216. Louisiana Center for Safe Schools
11A. The Louisiana Center for Safe Schools, referred to in this Section as the
12"center", is hereby established within the Louisiana Commission on Law
13Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice.
14B. The center shall administer school and nonprofit security programs
15formerly provided pursuant to Title 29 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.
16C. The center shall do all of the following:
17(1) Identify and prioritize resources available to improve the safety and
18security of schools of this state and nonprofit organizations.
19(2) Facilitate the collection and dissemination of information on safety
20vulnerabilities, safety needs, training standards, best practices, and available funding
21programs.
22(3) Develop, in consultation with the State Board of Elementary and
23Secondary Education, a comprehensive statewide school safety framework, including
24behavioral threat assessment models and trauma-informed support practices.
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1(4) Assist schools in developing and revising crisis management and
2emergency response plans required pursuant to R.S. 17:416.16.
3(5) Coordinate with the state Department of Education and other appropriate
4state agencies to ensure awareness of available safety resources and incorporation
5of best practices.
6(6) Provide training and technical assistance to schools, school governing
7authorities, nonprofit organizations, and other appropriate entities on issues relating
8to school and nonprofit security, including emergency operations planning,
9emergency drills, threat assessment, facility security, digital safety, vulnerability
10assessments, and hazard mitigation.
11(7) Facilitate consistent and comprehensive information sharing between
12schools, communities, nonprofit organizations, and governmental agencies to
13promote safety and resiliency.
14(8) Identify and offer training opportunities relating to school resource
15officers and other personnel assigned to school and nonprofit security functions.
16(9)   Administer systems and coordinated processes relating to threat
17assessment, violence prevention, risk mitigation, suicide prevention and intervention,
18emergency preparedness, and response coordination.
19D. The center may acquire, develop, license, hold, operate, maintain,
20administer, and make available systems, platforms, tools, subscriptions, and related
21infrastructure reasonably necessary to carry out its duties and may make such
22systems available to authorized participants pursuant to agreements consistent with
23applicable law.
24E.    The center may enter cooperative agreements, intergovernmental
25agreements, cooperative endeavor agreements, contracts, or other lawful
26arrangements with public entities or governmental bodies as necessary to carry out
27its duties.
28F. The center may apply for, receive, administer, and implement programs
29supported by state, federal, interstate, or other lawful funding sources and may
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1expend such funds and carry out programmatic requirements consistent with this
2Section.
3G. The center may utilize cooperative or intergovernmental contracts
4authorized under state or federal law and existing statewide contracts to acquire
5systems and services necessary to implement this Section. All procurements shall
6be conducted in accordance with applicable state and federal procurement law.
7H. The center shall adopt and maintain written policies governing data
8management, confidentiality, access controls, authorized participation, and
9compliance with applicable state and federal privacy law. Any public records
10exemptions applicable to school security plans, critical incident data, or related
11security information shall continue to apply to data and systems administered
12pursuant to this Section.
13I. The center may establish and administer emergency notification systems
14and anonymous reporting systems to enhance school and nonprofit security.
15J. The center shall provide an annual report to the governor, the State Board
16of Elementary and Secondary Education, the House Committee on Education, the
17Senate Education Committee, the House Committee on the Administration of
18Criminal Justice, and the Senate Committee on Judiciary B regarding the status of
19school and nonprofit security initiatives and the activities of the center.
20K. Nothing in this Section shall supersede the constitutional authority of the
21State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
22L. The center shall coordinate with the Governor's Office of Homeland
23Security and Emergency Preparedness, or its successor, regarding school-related
24critical incident mapping and emergency response planning.
25M.(1) There is hereby established within the Louisiana Commission on Law
26Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice the School and Nonprofit
27Security Advisory Council, referred to in this Subsection as the "council".
28(2) The council shall consist of the following members:
29(a)    The executive director of the Louisiana Commission on Law
30Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice, or his designee.
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1(b) The superintendent of the state Department of Education, or his designee.
2(c) The secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, or his designee.
3(d) The secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services, or his
4designee.
5(e) The superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, or his designee.
6(f) The executive director of the Louisiana Sheriffs' Association, or his
7designee.
8(g) The executive director of a statewide association of chiefs of police, or
9his designee.
10(h) A representative of a statewide association of school boards, appointed
11by that association.
12(i) A representative of a statewide association of school principals or
13superintendents, appointed by that association.
14(j) The chair of the House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice,
15or his designee.
16(k) The chair of the Senate Committee on Judiciary B, or his designee.
17(l) The executive director of the Louisiana Interchurch Conference, or his
18designee.
19(m) The director of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and
20Emergency Preparedness, or his designee.
21(3) The council shall elect a chair from among its members in accordance
22with rules adopted by the council.
23(4) A majority of the appointed members constitutes a quorum.
24(5) The council shall meet at least quarterly and may meet more frequently
25as determined by the council.
26(6) The council shall do all of the following:
27(a) Review and formally endorse statewide school and nonprofit security
28frameworks developed by the center.
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1(b) Adopt formal recommendations regarding interagency coordination,
2threat assessment standards, training alignment, emergency preparedness, and
3programmatic implementation.
4(c)   Make formal recommendations regarding the establishment, design,
5administration, and funding priorities of grant programs relating to school and
6nonprofit security.
7(d) Issue an annual report, no later than July first, to the governor and to the
8legislature regarding school and nonprofit security initiatives and recommendations
9of the council.
10(7) The council shall not enter into contracts, expend funds, procure goods
11or services, or promulgate administrative rules. Implementation authority shall
12remain with the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of
13Criminal Justice through the Louisiana Center for Safe Schools.
14N.(1) The council established pursuant to this Section shall be the successor
15entity to the Louisiana Commission on School and Nonprofit Security previously
16created pursuant to R.S. 29:726.5.
17(2) All powers, duties, functions, records, reports, recommendations, data
18studies, pending matters, officers, and other actions of the prior commission are
19transferred to and shall continue in effect under the council established by this
20Section.
21Section 2. R.S. 29:726.5, 726.5.1, and 726.6 are hereby repealed in their entirety.
22Section 3. Any member serving on the Louisiana Commission on School and
23 Nonprofit Security, whose position corresponds to a position on the School and Nonprofit
24 Security Advisory Council as created by this Act, shall continue to serve in the same
25 capacity on the newly created council on the effective date of this Act. All other positions
26 of the Louisiana Commission on School and Nonprofit Security shall be eliminated on the
27 effective date of this Act.
28Section 4. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor, or, if not
29 signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature
30 by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If
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1 vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this act shall become
2 effective on the day following such approval.
  SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
  PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
  GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
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