Healthcare

signed · Louisiana · Senate May 29, 2026

SB 427: DONATIONS: Provides for procedures and methods to execute gifts under the Anatomical Gift Act. (1/1/27)

This bill updates Louisiana's Anatomical Gift Act to clarify procedures and methods for making, amending, or revoking donations of human body parts for transplantation, therapy, research, or education. It directly affects donors, their agents, healthcare providers, and organizations involved in organ recovery by establishing standardized definitions and requirements for consent and authorization. Key provisions include formalizing how anatomical gifts can be recorded on driver's licenses and other identification documents, defining roles for witnesses and agents, and specifying rules for donation after brain death or circulatory death. The legislation also creates a state registry to track anatomical gift decisions and ensures consistency in how these gifts are executed and documented.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill clarifies anatomical gift procedures, improving organ donation processes and supporting healthcare access for transplants.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Louisiana · Senate May 29, 2026

SB 451: HEALTH CARE: Provides relative to newborn hearing screening. (8/1/26) (EN SEE FISC NOTE See Note)

This bill updates Louisiana's newborn hearing screening laws to modernize terminology and strengthen protections for infants with hearing loss. It establishes a formal Bill of Rights for deaf and hard-of-hearing children, ensuring they have access to adult role models and meaningful involvement in programs affecting their education. The legislation creates or updates an advisory council to oversee screening procedures, define hearing loss categories, and guide early intervention services. By clarifying definitions and expanding the legal framework, the bill aims to improve early detection and support for infants at risk of hearing disabilities.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill strengthens newborn hearing screening laws, establishes rights for deaf children, and creates advisory council to improve early intervention services.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Louisiana · Senate May 29, 2026

SB 437: HEALTH DEPARTMENT: Provides relative to treatment services provided at facilities providing housing or temporary residence for individuals referred by judicial agencies. (8/1/26) (EN NO IMPACT See Note)

This bill requires facilities that provide housing or temporary residence for individuals referred by judicial agencies to obtain a license from the Louisiana Department of Health before offering residential substance use disorder treatment. The law mandates that the Department of Health must inspect and certify these facilities as compliant with specific rules before they can provide such services to people referred by courts or other judicial bodies. Additionally, the bill establishes a process for filing complaints against unlicensed residential treatment facilities and clarifies that licensed medical professionals can still offer behavioral health services in a person's home. These changes aim to ensure that judicially referred individuals receive treatment only from facilities that meet state health and safety standards.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill improves rehabilitation programs by requiring licensed treatment facilities for judicial referrals, enhancing oversight and care for individuals in the criminal justice system.75% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill mandates licensing and inspection for substance use disorder treatment facilities, improving quality control and patient safety in healthcare services.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Louisiana · Senate May 29, 2026

SB 409: EMPLOYMENT: Provides protections for employees who become living organ donors. (8/1/26) (EN INCREASE GF EX See Note)

This bill, SB 409, aims to protect employees who donate organs by preventing employers from discriminating against them or retaliating after the donation. It directly affects workers who become living organ donors and their employers. The legislation establishes specific protections to ensure these employees do not face adverse employment actions related to their donation. By amending the bill text, it clarifies the structure of these protections within the existing labor framework. The measure focuses on creating a clear legal safeguard for organ donors in the workplace without predicting specific outcomes.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill protects employees who donate organs from employer discrimination, supporting patient rights and encouraging organ donation within healthcare context.85% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill protects employees who donate organs from employer discrimination and retaliation, strengthening worker rights and employment protections.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Louisiana · Senate May 29, 2026

SB 45: HEALTH SERVICES: Provides relative to hospice care. (gov sig) (EN SEE FISC NOTE GF EX See Note)

This bill exempts certain nonprofit hospices providing free end-of-life care from standard hospice licensure requirements. It directly affects nonprofit organizations that offer no-cost, home-like care to terminally ill patients, provided they meet three criteria: charging no fees to patients/families, receiving no insurance payments (including Medicare/Medicaid), and limiting accommodations to three private bedrooms. The bill treats these exempt organizations as the patient’s residence for care purposes, requiring medications to be handled like home care, and allows designated caregivers (even without licenses) to perform tasks under a hospice provider’s plan. These changes aim to expand access to low-cost hospice options while clarifying care delivery standards.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExempts nonprofit hospices from licensure requirements, enabling free end-of-life care access without insurance billing or fees.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Louisiana · House May 29, 2026

HB 193: HEALTH/SICKLE CELL ANEM: Provides for the membership of the Louisiana Sickle Cell Commission

HB 193 restructures the membership of Louisiana's Sickle Cell Commission by specifying who serves on it. The bill requires the governor to appoint 13 members (with Senate confirmation), including key health officials like the Louisiana Department of Health secretary and Medicaid director, plus executive directors from seven regional sickle cell associations across the state. It repeals previous membership provisions that listed additional, less-specific roles. This is a procedural change affecting only the commission's composition, not sickle cell treatment or funding.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRestructures sickle cell commission with health officials to improve oversight of sickle cell care, a public health program.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Louisiana · Senate May 29, 2026

SB 124: HEALTH CARE: Provides relative to peer review of health systems. (8/1/26)

SB 124 clarifies that peer review records for healthcare providers and facilities in Louisiana are confidential, meaning they cannot be disclosed in court or through discovery, except when a provider's professional privileges are under review. It defines a "health system" as two or more hospitals under common ownership and permits such systems to share peer review information among their own hospitals for credentialing, quality improvement, or patient safety purposes without losing confidentiality. The bill also shields healthcare providers and institutions from liability when sharing peer review information in good faith for these specific uses. This bill directly affects hospitals, health systems, and healthcare providers who participate in or are subject to peer review processes.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareClarifies peer review confidentiality, enabling health systems to share quality improvement data without disclosure risks, supporting systemic healthcare quality and patient safety initiatives.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Louisiana · Senate May 29, 2026

SB 169: GENETICS: Provides relative to biomarker testing. (gov sig) (EN NO IMPACT See Note)

SB 169 requires health insurance plans in Louisiana to cover biomarker testing for patients needing personalized medical treatment, such as cancer care guided by genetic markers. It defines "clinical utility" through specific criteria to ensure tests are covered without unnecessary hurdles. The law prevents insurers from denying coverage based on laboratory classifications or unrelated credentialing, ensuring the test itself - not the lab - is the focus of coverage. This directly affects patients seeking biomarker tests and insurers, reducing the need for repeated biopsies by mandating seamless coverage.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates insurance coverage for biomarker testing in personalized cancer care, expanding patient access and preventing coverage denials based on lab classification.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Louisiana · Senate May 29, 2026

SB 181: CHARITABLE GAMING: Provides an exemption for nonprofit healthcare organizations to hold and operate a license for conducting certain raffles. (8/1/26)

SB 181 exempts nonprofit healthcare organizations in Louisiana from needing a state license to hold charitable games of chance (like raffles or bingo). Instead, these organizations must annually notify the Office of Charitable Gaming of their participation. The bill defines "nonprofit healthcare organization" broadly to include healthcare providers, their parent organizations, affiliates, and foundations that are tax-exempt and licensed in Louisiana. This change directly affects eligible healthcare groups, allowing them to operate games without a license while maintaining reporting requirements.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExempts healthcare nonprofits from licensing for charitable gaming, enabling easier fundraising to support healthcare services and operations.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Louisiana · Senate May 29, 2026

SB 190: NURSING HOMES: Provides relative to nursing home licenses. (8/1/26) (EN INCREASE GF EX See Note)

SB 190 requires Louisiana nursing homes identified by federal authorities as candidates for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' "Special Focus Facility Program" (due to persistent safety issues like abuse or health risks) to undergo enhanced state oversight. It mandates facilities to notify residents about safety concerns, offer transfer options, and comply with stricter state requirements - including quarterly unannounced inspections, root cause analyses, and staffing adjustments. If a facility fails to meet these requirements within 18 months, the state can revoke its license. The bill also prohibits repeat participation in the program, requiring license revocation or facility closure for repeat offenders.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates enhanced oversight for nursing homes with safety issues, requiring resident notifications, transfer options, and stricter inspections to protect patient safety in healthcare facilities.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates stricter safety oversight, quarterly inspections, and staffing adjustments for nursing homes with safety issues, directly improving workplace safety standards for workers.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare