SB 295 requires all health insurance plans sold in Louisiana to cover medically necessary treatments for people with acquired brain injuries (ABIs), such as stroke or trauma survivors. It prohibits lifetime or unreasonable annual limits on treatment days/sessions, ensures ABI care isn’t subject to higher deductibles/copays than other benefits, and bans coverage denials based solely on treatment location (e.g., home vs. facility) if clinically appropriate. The bill defines covered services to include cognitive rehabilitation, neurobehavioral therapy, and community reintegration support, and mandates peer-reviewed appeals for denied claims. The bill is pending in the Insurance Committee after being prefilled in February 2026.
HB 430, known as the "MJ 911 Act," mandates that Lafayette Parish employers provide lifelong health insurance coverage for surviving spouses and children (including step- or adopted children) of law enforcement officers or firefighters killed in the line of duty. Specifically, it requires employers to pay for health insurance for surviving spouses for life and for children until age 18 (or until 23 if enrolled in school or disabled). The law applies retroactively to January 1, 2017, for all qualifying families and ensures coverage matches what active members receive. It does not require families to accept the coverage, allowing them to decline it if desired.
HB 833 creates the Sexual Assault Survivor Empowerment Task Force in Louisiana to study and recommend improvements to services for sexual assault survivors. The task force, composed of members from the attorney general's office, sheriffs' association, state legislators, and district attorneys, will evaluate needs like counseling, school/work accommodations, and mandatory training for schools/hospitals/law enforcement. It must submit a report with specific recommendations to the governor and legislature by February 1, 2027, after which the task force will terminate. This bill does not change existing laws but sets up a process to inform future legislation.
HB 656 establishes a pilot program to provide structured programming to specific inmates in Louisiana. It directly affects juvenile offenders and inmates held in parish jails or prisons under the Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DPS&C). The program must include rehabilitation services (education/vocational training), mental health support, and suicide prevention initiatives. Programming will be delivered in-person or via video for accessibility, with DPS&C required to create implementing rules. This bill focuses on expanding access to support services within correctional facilities.
This Louisiana concurrent resolution asks the U.S. Congress and the Trump administration to pass the Major Richard Star Act, which aims to help combat-wounded service members who have been medically retired. The bill seeks to remove a current rule that reduces military retirement pay by the same amount as disability compensation from the Veterans Affairs, allowing veterans to keep both benefits in full. Although the resolution expresses strong support for this change, it is a formal request rather than a law that directly alters federal policy itself.
This bill allows licensed physicians in Louisiana to use nitrous oxide as pain relief during minor office surgeries and similar procedures. It requires the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners to create specific safety guidelines for this practice while explicitly prohibiting the board from banning its use in these settings. The legislation directly affects doctors who may now have an additional tool for managing patient pain in outpatient settings, provided they follow the board's rules.
This bill directs the state surgeon general to create a plan for updating Louisiana's informed consent procedures in medical and surgical settings. It specifically aims to address the lack of a current mechanism to review these procedures since the Medical Disclosure Panel last met in 2018. The legislation removes references to vaccinations from the scope and asks the surgeon general to include recommendations for improving the informed consent process.
HB 89 ensures that retired district attorneys and assistant district attorneys in Louisiana's Third Judicial District with at least 24 years of full-time service receive full coverage for their health insurance premiums. The district attorney's office will pay 100% of the premium - either the retiree's current plan or the equivalent amount paid by a current employee - regardless of age. Once retirees become Medicare-eligible, the office continues covering their supplemental plan premiums to maintain comparable coverage. This applies only to retirees who retire after the bill's effective date.
HB 626 requires Louisiana's public colleges and universities to post suicide hotline numbers (including 988) on their websites and on student ID cards. It mandates that institutions provide all new students with information about mental health services and suicide warning signs through interactive formats (like online modules), and ensure 24/7 access to trained mental health professionals via campus or remote support. The bill also requires institutions to collect and report anonymous, aggregated data on suicide risk assessments - including demographics and referrals - to mental health services. These provisions directly affect all public postsecondary institutions in Louisiana, aiming to improve student mental health resources and data tracking.
This bill modifies an existing law regarding pregnant women in custody to clarify that funding for their care can come from nonprofit organizations or federal grants. The change is a minor amendment that adds specific sources of financial support to the current legal framework. It directly affects state agencies responsible for managing the healthcare of incarcerated pregnant women. The legislation does not alter the core requirement for providing care but expands the list of permissible funding origins.
