HB 718 limits liability for private landowners who allow free aeronautical activities (like recreational flying) on their land at nonpublic use airports. It protects landowners from lawsuits for injuries caused by land defects, unless they acted maliciously or failed to warn about known dangers. The law applies to all recreational aeronautical use, whether the landowner charges a fee or not, but does not relieve users from their duty to exercise reasonable care. Landowners remain liable only for intentional harm or willful failure to warn about hazards they knew about.
HB 624 revises Louisiana's requirements for public school emergency operations plans. It mandates that each school principal, working with local law enforcement and a district safety team (including mental health professionals and school resource officers), develop plans covering all emergencies - including active shooter scenarios - and conduct annual safety drills during high-traffic school periods. The bill requires schools to report annually on plan compliance and emergency preparedness through state-mandated questionnaires, with high schools specifically including student representatives in plan reviews. These changes directly affect all Louisiana public schools, principals, and district safety teams by standardizing emergency planning, training, and reporting processes.
HB 766 requires health insurers in Louisiana to cover orally administered anti-cancer medications on the same terms as intravenously administered ones. It prohibits insurers from imposing higher copays, deductibles, or prior authorizations for oral medications compared to IV treatments, and bans programs that ignore drug discounts (like "accumulator" programs). The bill caps out-of-pocket costs for oral anti-cancer drugs at $100 per prescription and ensures cost-sharing counts toward annual out-of-pocket maximums. It applies to most health plans but excludes limited-benefit policies, high-deductible plans with HSAs, and self-funded ERISA plans. This directly affects cancer patients and insurers by reducing financial barriers to oral medication access.
HB 864 allows Louisiana municipalities to prohibit the above-ground storage of flammable, explosive, or easily ignitable materials within six feet beneath state-owned bridges, overpasses, viaducts, or tunnels operated by the municipality. It directly affects property owners, businesses, or individuals storing such materials near these structures, while permitting exceptions for events approved by the municipality. The bill establishes penalties for violations, including fines up to $1,500 or up to six months in jail per offense.
HB 608 creates confidentiality protections for specific documents related to college athletes' compensation and revenue sharing in Louisiana. It makes two types of documents confidential and exempt from public records requests: (1) any document an athlete shares with their school about their contract terms, and (2) documents created during negotiations for an athletics revenue sharing program. These provisions directly affect college athletes and their institutions by preventing public access to sensitive financial agreements. The bill modifies Louisiana's public records law to exclude these materials from disclosure requirements.
HB 816 prohibits foreign adversaries (as defined by U.S. Treasury) and entities with foreign adversary control from owning or acquiring land within 25 miles of designated Louisiana military installations. The bill directly affects foreign governments, corporations, or investment funds with foreign adversary ties seeking to purchase or lease such adjacent property. Key provisions include requiring affidavits to verify non-adversary status, imposing $50,000 civil penalties for violations, and allowing contract rescission if a foreign adversary interest is discovered. Exceptions cover U.S. citizens, legal residents, and residential properties (1-4 family homes). The law aims to protect military sites by restricting ownership near installations, with enforcement handled by the state attorney general.
HB 429 adds theft or unauthorized entry of oil and gas facilities - including drilling, production, transportation, and storage equipment - as a specific act that qualifies as terrorism under Louisiana law. It directly affects individuals who steal or trespass at these facilities by making such acts punishable as terrorism, not just theft. The bill defines "critical infrastructure" to explicitly include oil and gas operations and sets a minimum 20-year prison sentence for terrorism convictions involving these facilities. This amendment changes the legal classification of such crimes, increasing penalties for offenses previously treated as theft.
HB 387 allows Louisiana architects to perform minor engineering tasks directly related to their architectural work, such as basic electrical, mechanical, or structural adjustments for renovations or small additions. This applies only when the engineering work is secondary in scope to the architectural design (e.g., minor system changes without major recalculations) and limited to site work within five feet of a building’s foundation. Architects must ensure this work is performed safely without endangering public welfare, and it does not replace the need for licensed engineers on larger or more complex projects. The bill clarifies that architects cannot engage in full engineering practice, maintaining separate licensing requirements for major engineering work.
HB 623 establishes a three-tier system for Louisiana's tobacco and vapor product industry, separating manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers into distinct roles with strict ownership and transaction rules. It prohibits manufacturers from holding retail or wholesale permits, wholesalers from being manufacturers or holding retail permits, and retailers from buying directly from manufacturers or unauthorized sources. The bill requires all products to be sold from manufacturers to permitted wholesalers, bans direct shipments to retailers or consumers, and mandates a digital tracking system for all product transfers to record details like product ID, quantity, and tax status. These changes directly affect all businesses selling tobacco or vapor products in Louisiana, requiring new compliance with permit rules and tracking requirements.
HB 513 grants Louisiana intercollegiate (college) and interscholastic (high school) athletes the right to control and profit from the commercial use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL). It directly affects student-athletes at Louisiana public and private colleges receiving state financial aid, as well as high school athletes in grades 9-12 participating in sanctioned sports. Key provisions require schools to allow athletes to hire licensed agents or attorneys for NIL deals, protect institutions from liability for decisions affecting NIL earnings (except in cases of gross negligence), and mandate schools to create policies covering NIL compensation rules, institutional support, and educational workshops on financial literacy. The bill also requires schools to establish clear guidelines for using institutional marks and facilities in NIL activities.
This bill directs the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development to investigate recent flooding on Highway 1 in Shreveport and includes the Caddo Parish Office of Homeland Security in the study. It requires that the findings from this investigation be added to the state's Flood Control Program. The legislation is a formal request rather than a law that mandates specific construction or funding changes.
This bill directs the Louisiana Department of Insurance to annually collect and publish specific insurance data without specifying whether the information must be broken down by state or parish. The text includes several minor technical adjustments, such as removing references to specific geographic levels and correcting capitalization and punctuation errors. By streamlining the reporting requirements, the legislation aims to simplify how the department compiles and releases insurance statistics.
