This bill requires Louisiana Medicaid to cover FDA-approved weight loss medications for eligible adults over eighteen. To qualify, patients must have a BMI of 30 or higher with at least one related health condition like diabetes or hypertension, or a BMI of 35 or higher without additional conditions. Coverage will require prior authorization limited to verifying these eligibility criteria, with initial approval for six months and continued coverage depending on documented clinical improvement. The bill also prohibits step therapy requirements for these medications and mandates that the Department of Health implement the coverage while maintaining fiscal sustainability.
This bill authorizes the city of St. George in East Baton Rouge Parish to acquire private property through expropriation when the city cannot reach an agreement with property owners for public projects. The law creates a new legal process that allows the city to take ownership of land before a court determines the final compensation amount, provided the city first passes a resolution confirming the project serves a public purpose. Property owners retain the right to challenge the taking in court and receive just compensation, with title transferring to the city immediately after the city deposits the estimated compensation amount into the court registry. The bill applies to various public infrastructure projects including streets, utilities, drainage, and flood protection systems within the city limits.
This bill amends Louisiana law to create specific exemptions from standard procurement rules for public entities purchasing certain materials and goods. It allows local law enforcement and public safety agencies to acquire trained animals for tasks like narcotics detection and search and rescue without following the lowest responsible bidder process. Additionally, it permits political subdivisions that own or operate railroads to purchase used locomotives, on-track equipment, rolling stock, and track maintenance equipment without adhering to typical procurement requirements. The legislation directly affects government agencies responsible for public safety, law enforcement, and railroad operations by providing flexibility in how they acquire specialized equipment.
This bill requires healthcare facilities in Louisiana to provide specific behavioral health services to patients admitted under emergency certificates. Upon admission, facilities must conduct a behavioral health evaluation within 72 hours and contact the patient's primary healthcare provider to review treatment history. At discharge, staff must notify healthcare professionals about the patient's release, provide a medical summary to follow-up providers, distribute educational materials about warning signs and privacy rights, and ensure patients receive at least a 14-day medication supply. The law also mandates that the Louisiana Department of Health create and publish these educational documents for patients and their families.
This bill requires insurance contracts in Louisiana to include a minimum prescriptive period of 24 months for first-party claims and one year for other claims, preventing insurers from limiting the time policyholders have to file lawsuits. It also clarifies that making a payment under an insurance contract does not reset or extend the deadline for filing a claim. The law applies to insurance policies covering residents or property located in Louisiana, including health and accident policies for state residents.
This bill allows the Louisiana Commissioner of Administration to sell surplus movable state property through public auctions. It requires the commissioner to hire qualified auctioneers via competitive bidding, with the contract lasting one year and requiring annual renewal. When both in-state and out-of-state auctioneers bid, the law gives preference to in-state professionals if their services are equal in quality and cost no more than 10% higher than out-of-state options. The changes apply to any state board, commission, agency, or department disposing of surplus movable items.
SB 42 amends Louisiana law to explicitly prohibit using artificial intelligence to create child sexual abuse materials, directly affecting individuals or entities generating such content through AI. The bill updates definitions to include "digitally generated, including by artificial intelligence" under "child sexual abuse materials" and expands "produce" to cover causing AI-generated content. It makes it illegal to create, distribute, or solicit child sexual abuse materials using AI tools, aligning with existing prohibitions on physical or non-AI generated materials. The law applies to all such content involving children under 17, treating AI-generated depictions as equally prohibited as traditional media. This is a substantive policy change adding AI to existing legal frameworks without altering enforcement mechanisms.
HB 159 creates a pilot program in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, allowing eligible defendants to serve pretrial time at home under electronic monitoring instead of being held in jail. To qualify, defendants cannot face violent crime or sex offense charges (as defined by law) and must pass a risk assessment by the sheriff’s office, in coordination with the district attorney and court. Participants must follow conditions like curfews, possible mental health check-ins, and pay a sliding-scale fee for supervision (with lower costs for those who cannot afford full fees). The sheriff must develop program rules, evaluate its effectiveness, and report findings to legislative committees and Caddo Parish officials, with the program ending if a new or expanded jail opens in the parish.
HB 119 makes it a crime to unlawfully share, sell, or possess AI-generated images of another person that show nudity or intimate body parts without authorization, with intent to coerce, harass, or intimidate. It directly affects anyone creating or distributing such AI images without permission, especially targeting cases involving minors (under 17), which carry harsher penalties. The law imposes penalties of up to one year in prison for general violations and up to five years (with at least one year mandatory) if the victim is a minor. It also adds new provisions to existing laws about "sexting" involving AI-generated intimate images. The bill creates specific criminal penalties for these actions without addressing broader policy impacts.
HB 129 designates a specific segment of Louisiana Highway 173 in Shreveport (from Elder Street and North Holtzman Avenue to Common Street) as the "Dr. Harry Blake, Sr. Memorial Highway" in Caddo Parish. The bill requires the Department of Transportation to install signage for this designation, but only if local or private funds cover the costs (capped at $750 per sign). This is a ceremonial naming bill with no substantive policy changes, directly honoring Dr. Harry Blake, Sr. and affecting the highway segment in Shreveport.
HB 180 establishes new definitions and rules for private entities seeking to expropriate (take) property in Louisiana. It defines "foreign adversary" as entities listed in U.S. Treasury sanctions databases and "agent of a foreign adversary" as an entity controlled by such entities (e.g., through ownership or profit-sharing). The bill directly affects private companies or organizations, particularly those linked to foreign adversaries, by requiring them to meet these definitions before proceeding with property expropriation. The key provision mandates that private entities must comply with these definitions as a prerequisite for any expropriation action, aligning Louisiana law with federal sanctions frameworks. (Based on R.S. 9:2717.1.1, prefiling stage as of 2026-02-18.)
HB 213 amends Louisiana law governing the Downtown Development District in Baton Rouge, primarily changing how its seven-member governing board is appointed and operated. The bill specifies that board members must include property owners/lessees within the district, residents of Spanish Town and Beauregard Town, and members appointed from business associations and property owner lists. It requires the board to prepare detailed improvement plans, including cost estimates and tax rates (measured in mills), for projects like public facilities and infrastructure within the district. The district will levy special property taxes to fund these projects, with funds managed through the city-parish finance department under existing government accounting rules.
