HB 1134 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

RETIREMENT/STATE EMPS: Creates the Back-Deferred Retirement Option Program within the Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System (EN SEE ACTUARIAL NOTE APV)

This bill creates a new retirement option for certain Louisiana state judges who are scheduled to lose their positions when they retire. It allows eligible judges to voluntarily retire early to save state money, in exchange for a special benefit structure that excludes the early retirement period from their service credit calculation. Judges participating in this program must not seek re-election to another judicial office and can only use this option once. The program includes specific rules about how benefits are calculated, contribution requirements, and a maximum benefit period of up to 36 months.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2026
Committee Review
May 2026
House Passage
May 2026
Senate Passage
May 2026
Signed into Law
Jun 2026
Introduced Mar 31, 2026 Signed Jun 2, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB1134 Original HB1134 Act 705 · 3 edits
MINOR
HB 1134 was converted from a draft bill into an enrolled Act (Act No. 705), finalizing its status as law. The substantive policy content regarding the Back-Deferred Retirement Option Program for judges remains largely the same, but the text was reorganized and corrected to align with the enrolled version. The most significant change is the update of the deadline for judges to elect early retirement from July 1, 2027, to December 31, 2026, ensuring the program operates within the current legislative session.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains focused on creating a special early retirement option for judges whose positions are being abolished to save state funds. The applicability is now strictly limited to judges holding office on the effective date of the Act who elect to retire by December 31, 2026.
TIMELINE

The deadline for judges to elect early retirement under this program was shortened from July 1, 2027, to December 31, 2026.

TECHNICAL

The bill text was reorganized and corrected to match the enrolled version, including fixing a date discrepancy in the original draft and removing the digest section which is not part of the law.

REQUIREMENT

Clarified that judges must make an irrevocable declaration not to seek re-election prior to July 1, 2026, to be eligible for the program.

Floor votes · Senate May 18, 2026 · House Apr 15, 2026

How they voted

370
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 40
May 18, 2026
D Democratic12
11 Yea 1
91% Yea
R Republican28
26 Yea 2
92% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
20
Key actions
5
Committee
4
May 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read by title, roll called, yeas 101, nays 0. The Senate amendments, having received two-thirds vote of the elected members, were concurred in.
lower
May 18, 2026
Upper · Passed
Rules suspended. Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 36 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
upper
May 6, 2026
Committee
Committee amendments read and adopted. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
upper
May 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported with amendments.
upper
Apr 15, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 94, nays 0. The bill, having received two-thirds vote of the elected members, was finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
lower
Apr 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably (10-0).
lower
Apr 1, 2026
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Retirement.
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Jacob Braud
Jacob Braud
RRepublican
LA
105