HCR 5 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

FISHING: Amends Department of Wildlife and Fisheries rules regarding red drum harvest

This bill would allow special permits for certain fishing tournaments to catch red drum over the standard 27-inch size limit. It requires tournaments to have been held for at least five years, include a "bull red" category historically, and last no more than four days annually. The permits would apply only to registered participants in qualifying events, not general recreational fishing. This change directly affects tournament organizers and participants, while maintaining existing size limits for all other fishing activities. The policy modifies current regulations to preserve established tournaments without altering overall stock recovery goals.
Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
May 2026
House Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
May 2026
Governor
Introduced Feb 27, 2026 Last action Jun 1, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

HCR5 Engrossed HCR5 Enrolled · 4 edits · May 28, 2026
MODERATE
The bill was finalized as an enrolled resolution, confirming its passage into law. The substantive policy content remains unchanged from the engrossed version, authorizing special permits for fishing tournaments to harvest red drum larger than the standard 27-inch size limit. This exception is strictly limited to events with a five-year history of bull redfish categories and a maximum duration of four days.
Scope change
The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; it continues to apply only to specific, long-standing fishing tournaments and rodeos that meet established criteria.
TECHNICAL

Removed the 'Engrossed' status header and replaced it with the 'Enrolled' status, indicating the bill has completed the legislative process.

Removed the digest section, which is a non-binding summary prepared by legislative services and not part of the final law.

Removed the page count footer, which changed from 'Page 1 of 3' to 'Page 1 of 2' after the digest was removed.

Removed the signatures of the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate, as these are added after the bill is enrolled and signed by the Governor.

Floor votes · Senate May 28, 2026 · House Apr 27, 2026

How they voted

350
Passed · 5 other
Total votes 40
May 28, 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
18
Key actions
4
Committee
5
May 28, 2026
Upper · Passed
Read by title and concurred in by a vote of 35 yeas and 0 nays. Ordered returned to the House.
upper
May 26, 2026
Committee
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
upper
May 21, 2026
Upper · Passed
Rules suspended. Reported favorably.
upper
Apr 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read by title, roll called on final consideration, yeas 94, nays 0. The resolution was adopted and ordered to the Senate.
lower
Apr 14, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably (11-0).
lower
Mar 9, 2026
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Environment.
lower
Feb 27, 2026
Committee
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Environment.
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Joe Orgeron
Joe Orgeron
RRepublican
LA
54