Louisiana's response to sexual assault victims remains fragmented despite years of legislative action, with inconsistent oversight, uneven access to trained nurses and heavy reliance on federal funding, according to a new Louisiana Legislative Auditor report.

The audit, requested by lawmakers through Act 289 of the 2025 Regular Session, examined how state agencies, hospitals, law enforcement and advocacy organizations respond to sexual assault and identified multiple areas where lawmakers could strengthen oversight and coordination.

While Louisiana has enacted laws requiring regional Sexual Assault Response plans and expanded services for survivors, auditors found no single entity is clearly responsible for ensuring those plans comply with state law or operate consistently across the state.

"The state's response system is fragmented," the report concludes, noting that hospitals, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, victim advocates and state agencies largely operate within their own systems despite serving many of the same survivors.

The findings come as the report highlights a significant gap between reported crimes and estimated victimization. Louisiana State Police reported 559 rape arrests and 53 rape convictions during fiscal 2025, while a Tulane University survey estimated roughly 365,000 adults experienced sexual harassment or sexual assault in the previous year. The survey also found 84% of victims did not report the incident.

Access to medical care also varies by location.

Auditors found Louisiana had at least 77 practicing sexual assault nurse examiners, or SANEs, as of February – the lowest number per 1,000 residents among nine states examined in the audit. About 86% of the state's 2,303 forensic medical examinations between July 2024 and February 2026 were performed by certified or trained SANEs, but survivors cannot always receive that level of care at their local hospital.

Nearly two-thirds of SANE programs surveyed cited recruiting and retaining qualified nurses as a significant challenge.

Victim advocacy services also remain uneven.

Louisiana has 11 accredited sexual assault advocacy centers, but eight also serve domestic violence, child abuse or human trafficking victims. Four parishes lacked accredited sexual assault advocacy coverage as of May 2026, according to the audit.

Funding emerged as another concern.

Auditors found Louisiana does not consistently appropriate recurring state general fund dollars for sexual assault advocacy centers, SANE programs or implementation of regional response plans. Instead, much of the system depends on federal grants, which the report notes have declined in recent years.

From 2020 through 2024, Louisiana received approximately $24.9 million in federal grants for sexual assault response programs. More than half supported advocacy organizations, while the remainder funded law enforcement, prosecutors, courts and other government entities.

The audit also found 10 of the state's 11 advocacy centers reported inadequate operational funding as a challenge, while eight cited difficulties recruiting and retaining staff.

Lawmakers established a Survivor Special Fund during the 2025 legislative session, financed through assessments on offenders convicted of sexually oriented crimes. However, auditors found the fund had accumulated only about $10,000 as of late 2025 and had not yet begun distributing grants because state officials were still developing an allocation process.

In addition to funding concerns, auditors said Louisiana should place greater emphasis on trauma-informed care and develop better ways to measure whether survivors are receiving effective services instead of simply tracking whether services are provided.

The report includes six matters for legislative consideration, including assigning clearer statewide oversight of Sexual Assault Response plans, evaluating long-term funding needs, expanding access to trained sexual assault nurse examiners, strengthening coordination among agencies and measuring outcomes for survivors.

The Louisiana Department of Health, Attorney General's Office, Governor's Office of Human Trafficking Prevention and Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault generally agreed with the audit's findings and recommendations, according to the report.