Louisiana Bills

in committee · Louisiana · House Mar 9, 2026

HB 499: ENERGY: Provides relative to compensation for pore space owners (OR SEE FISC NOTE GF RV)

HB 499 sets rules for compensating landowners whose property is part of a carbon dioxide storage project in Louisiana. It requires that non-consenting landowners (those who didn’t agree to the project) receive at least the average compensation paid to consenting owners in the same project, with a minimum payment per acre. The bill also gives courts the authority to review if compensation is "just" if challenged, limiting review to the specific owner’s case and allowing courts to request necessary information. This directly affects property owners in areas designated for geologic carbon storage, ensuring fairer payment terms for those who did not voluntarily participate.

Topics ✓ Environment

in committee · Louisiana · House Mar 9, 2026

HB 495: ENERGY: Authorizes the governing authority of Grant Parish to determine whether carbon dioxide sequestration and pipelines transporting carbon dioxide may be permitted within the parish

HB 495 gives Grant Parish's governing authority (the Police Jury) the power to prohibit carbon dioxide sequestration projects and pipelines transporting carbon dioxide within the parish. If the parish adopts a resolution or ordinance blocking these projects, it overrides any conflicting state permits or approvals. The bill requires the parish to notify the state Department of Conservation and Energy of its decision, and any such prohibition becomes effective immediately upon adoption. This directly affects Grant Parish residents, landowners, and potential project developers by placing local control over these specific energy infrastructure decisions.

Topics ✗ Environment

in committee · Louisiana · House Mar 9, 2026

HB 790: CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES: Provides relative to medical emergency preparedness in correctional facilities

HB 790 requires all Louisiana correctional facilities to ensure staff and chaplains maintain current CPR and AED certification by specific deadlines (within 180 days of January 1, 2027, for current staff). It mandates facilities to place operational AEDs within three minutes of any inmate housing area, with specific locations including cellblocks, medical units, and recreation spaces. The bill also establishes a voluntary inmate CPR training program for eligible inmates with good behavior, offering positive record notes but no legal duty to assist. Additionally, it requires unannounced quarterly contraband screening for staff with direct inmate contact to support emergency response readiness.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

in committee · Louisiana · House Mar 9, 2026

HB 683: CIVIL/PROCEDURE: Provides with respect to service of process

HB 683 changes Louisiana court procedures for serving legal documents (like court papers or subpoenas). It allows courts to appoint qualified private individuals (not just sheriffs) to serve these documents when sheriffs fail to act within 10 days for regular cases or 5 days for subpoenas. For urgent cases, a party must submit an affidavit explaining why skipping the sheriff is necessary, such as an emergency hearing or knowing the person's location. This directly affects courts, parties in lawsuits, and licensed private investigators (who are presumed qualified to serve).

in committee · Louisiana · House Mar 9, 2026

HB 461: BUILDING CODES: Provides relative to allowing municipalities or parishes to adopt certain construction standards

HB 461 allows Louisiana municipalities and parishes to voluntarily adopt FORTIFIED Home™ construction standards for new or significantly renovated residential properties (replacing 50%+ of roof area). It does not require local governments to implement these standards, only permits them to do so via local ordinance. If adopted, the ordinance must require verification by an IBHS-certified evaluator before a building permit is issued, and the local government must notify the state construction code council 60 days in advance. This bill directly affects homeowners and builders in communities that choose to implement the optional standards, with no impact on areas that do not adopt them.

in committee · Louisiana · House Mar 9, 2026

HB 408: INSURANCE/PROPERTY: Prohibits insurers from the nonrenewal of residential insurance policies when homeowners timely mitigate risks

HB 408 prevents Louisiana insurers from canceling residential home insurance policies if homeowners fix the specific safety issues causing nonrenewal within 90 days of receiving written notice. Homeowners who resolve the stated problem (e.g., repairing structural damage) within this timeframe retain coverage, and insurers cannot later use those same issues to raise premiums. Insurers must provide written notice explaining the nonrenewal reason and delivery method (including email), with the 90-day window starting upon notice receipt. This bill directly affects residential homeowners in Louisiana facing nonrenewal notices and aims to provide a clear path to maintain coverage.

Topics ✓ Housing

in committee · Louisiana · House Mar 9, 2026

HB 391: HIGHER ED/BD REGENTS: (Constitutional Amendment) Abolishes the Board of Regents

HB 391 proposes abolishing Louisiana's Board of Regents for higher education, effective January 1, 2027, and replacing it with four new governing boards: one for the University of Louisiana System, one for Louisiana State University, one for Southern University, and one for community and technical colleges. The bill would transfer the Board's current responsibilities for managing public universities and colleges to these new boards, while keeping existing funding mechanisms intact. It also removes references to the Board of Regents from the state constitution and adjusts related provisions about education funding allocation. The constitutional amendment requires voter approval in the November 2026 election before taking effect.

in committee · Louisiana · House Mar 9, 2026

HB 303: SCHOOLS/CHARTER: Excludes certain local revenues for the purposes of computing per pupil funding amounts for certain charter schools (OR NO IMPACT See Note)

HB 303 modifies how Louisiana calculates per-pupil funding for certain charter schools by excluding specific state transportation funds. The bill targets Type 1, 3, 3B (non-self-governing), and Type 4 charter schools, excluding state-provided funds for transporting nonpublic school students (as defined in R.S. 17:158) when determining their annual funding amount. This change ensures those transportation dollars aren't counted toward the state’s minimum foundation program formula used to set charter school funding. The policy directly affects charter school funding calculations without altering the actual transportation funding or total state budget for schools.

Topics ✗ Budget & Taxes ✗ Education

in committee · Louisiana · House Mar 9, 2026

HB 569: APPROPRIATIONS/JUDGMENT: Appropriates funds for payment of the consent judgment against the state in the suit entitled Anna Flowers and Brent Flowers v. State of Louisiana, through the Department of Transportation and Development et als.

HB 569 appropriates $17,000 from Louisiana's state general fund for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 to pay a court-ordered judgment against the state. The funds will cover the principal, interest, court costs, and expert witness fees owed to Anna and Brent Flowers from a 2016 legal case (Case No. 63,977) involving the Department of Transportation and Development. The bill authorizes payment only after required documentation is submitted to the state treasurer and deems the judgment paid as of the act's effective date. This is a straightforward funding measure for a specific legal obligation, not a new policy.

in committee · Louisiana · House Mar 9, 2026

HB 470: WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT: Enacts the Louisiana Workforce Development Equity and Opportunity Act (OR +$10,000,000 GF EX See Note)

HB 470 establishes Louisiana's Workforce Equity and Opportunity Program to support low-income residents from underrepresented minority groups in high-growth sectors like clean energy, healthcare, and information technology. The bill provides grants to training providers (with at least 60% of participants meeting targeted criteria) and direct financial support covering training costs, living expenses during training, and certification fees for eligible individuals. It prioritizes Historically Black Colleges and Universities and community colleges in low-income areas, allocating $10 million annually for implementation while requiring employer partnerships for guaranteed interviews and prevailing-wage jobs upon program completion.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education ✓ Energy ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment ✓ Technology

in committee · Louisiana · House Mar 9, 2026

HB 809: HOUSING: Provides for the transfer of surplus immovable state property in certain circumstances for the development of low-income housing

HB 809 allows Louisiana to transfer surplus state-owned land or buildings to affordable housing developers for low-income housing projects. It requires the Louisiana Housing Corporation to maintain a public inventory of such property and evaluate proposals from housing entities using a scoring system prioritizing deeply affordable units (rent ≤30% of income), permanent supportive housing, and nonprofit ownership. The bill mandates annual reporting to the legislature on transferred properties, proposed units, and completed developments. This directly affects affordable housing organizations and low-income residents (defined as those earning ≤80% of state median income) by creating a formal process to repurpose unused state assets for housing.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Housing

in committee · Louisiana · House Mar 9, 2026

HB 900: TRANSPORTATION DEPT: Allocates money damages to highways to a state general fund (OR SEE FISC NOTE SD)

This bill creates a new Damage Recovery Fund for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development to collect money recovered from traffic accidents that damage state highways. The fund will be used to repair damage caused by accidents on state property or to reimburse local authorities for repairs already paid, but it will not cover the costs of recovering the funds from responsible parties. This change establishes a specific financial mechanism to handle compensation for state property damage without altering existing procedures for collecting funds from at-fault parties.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Transportation

Bill results