HB 171 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

BAIL: Provides relative to personal sureties

HB 171 clarifies Louisiana's bail procedures for personal sureties (individuals guaranteeing a defendant's court appearance). It distinguishes between "secured" sureties, who must mortgage property in Louisiana, and "unsecured" sureties, who must reside in the state but do not need to pledge property. The bill amends specific sections of the Code of Criminal Procedure to define these requirements more precisely. This affects defendants seeking release on bail and the courts overseeing those releases in Louisiana. The bill is procedural, focusing on defining existing bail mechanisms rather than creating new policies.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

May 2026

Signed into Law

May 2026

Introduced Feb 18, 2026 Signed May 11, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB171 Original → HB171 Act · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was formally enrolled and approved into law, converting the original draft into an official Act. The substantive legal text regarding bail and personal sureties remains unchanged, with the only modifications being the addition of approval signatures and the removal of legislative digest summaries.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability are unchanged; it continues to govern unsecured personal surety bail undertakings under the same criteria as before.

ENFORCEMENT

Added signatures from the Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, and Governor, indicating the bill has been officially approved and enacted.

TECHNICAL

Removed the legislative digest and abstract that previously explained the bill's purpose and proposed changes.

Updated the header information to reflect the bill's status as an enrolled Act (Act No. 59) rather than an original draft.

Floor votes · Senate May 5, 2026 · House Mar 24, 2026

How they voted

36–0

Passed · 4 other

Total votes 40

May 5, 2026

D Democratic12

10 Yea 2

83% Yea

R Republican28

26 Yea 2

92% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

May 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

Read by title, passed by a vote of 35 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

upper

Apr 22, 2026

Committee

Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

upper

Apr 21, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported favorably.

upper

Mar 24, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 97, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

lower

Mar 18, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported favorably (11-0).

lower

Mar 9, 2026

Committee

Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.

lower

Feb 18, 2026

Committee

Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors