HB 301 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

LABOR: Creates the Independent Contractor Voluntary Portable Benefits Act

HB 301 creates the "Independent Contractor Voluntary Portable Benefits Act," allowing independent contractors in Louisiana to establish portable benefit accounts. These accounts, owned by the contractor and not tied to any specific employer, can be funded through voluntary contributions from hiring parties (like companies) or the contractors themselves, with clear opt-in and opt-out requirements. Key provisions include allowing contributions for health insurance, retirement, disability, and other benefits, while explicitly stating these contributions cannot be used to determine employment status or create employer liability under state labor laws. The bill directly affects independent contractors by providing a mechanism to access portable benefits across multiple clients.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2026

House Passage

May 2026

Senate Passage

May 2026

Signed into Law

May 2026

Introduced Feb 24, 2026 Signed May 22, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB301 Original → HB301 Act 299 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was finalized and enrolled as Act No. 299, removing the original draft header and digest. The core policy text remains substantively unchanged, defining portable benefit accounts for independent contractors and establishing rules for voluntary contributions by hiring parties or contractors. The primary differences are the addition of signatures from the Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, and the Governor, which signifies the bill has passed both legislative chambers and received executive approval.

Scope change

The scope of the law remains the same; the changes are purely procedural, reflecting the bill's transition from a draft to an enacted statute.

TECHNICAL

Removed the 'ORIGINAL' header and Legislative Services digest, replacing them with 'ENROLLED' status and official signatures from the Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, and Governor.

Updated page numbering from 'Page 1 of 4' to 'Page 1 of 3' to reflect the final, consolidated text of the act.

Reordered the definition of 'Hiring party' from subsection (2) to subsection (3) to align with the new numbering of the 'Portable benefit account' definition.

Floor votes · Senate May 7, 2026 · House Apr 1, 2026

How they voted

35–0

Passed · 5 other

Total votes 40

May 7, 2026

D Democratic12

10 Yea 2

83% Yea

R Republican28

25 Yea 3

89% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

May 13, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read by title, roll called, yeas 90, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.

lower

May 7, 2026

Upper · Passed

Rules suspended. Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 34 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

upper

Apr 27, 2026

Committee

Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

upper

Apr 22, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported favorably.

upper

Apr 1, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 93, nays 1. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

lower

Mar 23, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported with amendments (6-5).

lower

Mar 9, 2026

Committee

Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations.

lower

Feb 24, 2026

Committee

Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors