Rep. Steven Jackson

Maddy summaryHB 801 creates a "Classic Black" specialty license plate for Louisiana motor vehicles, available to any Louisiana resident who applies for it. The plate features a black background with white numbers and "LOUISIANA" at the top, and requires a $25 annual fee (plus $3.50 handling) on top of standard license taxes. All fees collected will fund emergency vehicle operations training for local governments at the Donald J. Thibodeaux Training Center in Holden. The plate is restricted to passenger cars, pickup trucks, RVs, motorcycles, and vans, but requires at least 1,000 applicants before issuance.

Maddy summarySB 1 requires all public bodies in Louisiana to conduct votes during open meetings using either a voice vote (viva voce) or electronic voting systems that display and record each member's individual vote. This directly affects city councils, school boards, and other local government bodies that hold public meetings under Louisiana's Open Meetings Law. The bill explicitly states that electronic voting machines meeting this recording standard satisfy the law's requirement for a public, recorded vote. The law applies retroactively to all previous meetings where votes were taken without such recording.

Maddy summarySB 23 amends Louisiana's sanitary code to exempt adult residential care providers from the definition of "food service establishment." This means facilities providing residential care for adults (like group homes) would no longer be subject to standard food safety regulations and inspections required for restaurants or similar businesses. The bill achieves this by adding a specific exclusion to the legal definition in the sanitary code. The change directly affects adult residential care providers by relieving them of certain food safety compliance obligations.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates a specific section of Louisiana Highway 526 as the "Hayden Lane Mangum Memorial Highway" to honor an individual. The legislation achieves this by officially adding the name "Hayden" to the existing title of the roadway in the state's legal records. It directly affects the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, which will use the new designation for official signage and mapping. The bill contains no changes to traffic laws, funding, or road construction requirements, serving solely as a commemorative measure.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates a specific stretch of Louisiana Highway 93 in Lafayette Parish as the "Desert Shield-Desert Storm Memorial Highway" to honor military service. The designated section runs from the intersection of Highway 723 and Wyman Road to the intersection with Destination Pointe Lane. The Department of Transportation and Development must install and maintain appropriate signage for this designation, but only if local or private funding covers the costs, with a maximum of $750 per sign. This is a commemorative measure rather than a policy change affecting transportation rules or funding.

Maddy summarySB 70 designates a specific segment of Louisiana Highway 1 (from Camp Road to W. Moore Street in Vivian, Caddo Parish) as the "Officer Marc Brock Memorial Highway." The bill requires the Department of Transportation to install and maintain signs for this designation only if local or private funds cover the actual costs (capped at $750 per sign for materials and installation). This is a memorial designation bill with no broader policy changes, solely honoring Officer Marc Brock through highway signage.

Maddy summarySB 104 designates a specific segment of Louisiana Highway 1 in Pointe Coupee Parish (from the intersection with Highway 78 to the Pointe Coupee Parish line) as the "Ernest J. Gaines Memorial Highway" to honor the renowned author. The bill requires the state transportation department to install signage only if local or private funds cover the costs (capped at $750 per sign for materials and installation). This is a commemorative measure with no substantive policy changes, directly affecting the designated highway corridor and its signage. The bill is currently in the prefiling stage and has not yet been voted on.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates Louisiana laws to allow electronic access to videotaped statements of protected persons, such as child victims, during criminal cases. It permits the district attorney to provide digital copies to defense attorneys, courts, and other legally authorized individuals while ensuring the defendant's constitutional rights are protected. The legislation explicitly prohibits self-represented defendants from accessing these electronic copies and maintains the requirement that physical copies be produced at trial. Additionally, the bill clarifies that these provisions do not limit a defendant's right to confront witnesses in court. These changes aim to modernize how evidence is shared while preserving existing legal safeguards.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a sales and use tax rebate program for purchases of equipment and materials used in aerospace facilities and activities in Louisiana. To qualify, aerospace facility owners must certify that their projects will create at least 200 new permanent jobs and invest at least $1 billion in the state between July 2026 and July 2031. The rebate applies to purchases made on or after July 1, 2026, and can be claimed annually by eligible contractors and facility owners through the Department of Revenue. If a facility fails to meet its job creation or investment obligations by July 2031, the state can terminate the agreement and require repayment of any rebates already received. The program is administered by Louisiana Economic Development, which certifies facilities and manages agreements that can be renewed for up to 10 additional years.

Maddy summaryHB 73 amends Louisiana law to allow public bodies (like city councils, school boards, and parish commissions) to use electronic voting machines for recording votes during public meetings. The bill requires that any electronic voting system must publicly display each member's vote in real time, while maintaining the existing requirement for voice votes to be recorded in public minutes. It applies only to future meetings and does not affect ongoing legal cases. This change standardizes voting methods for transparency but does not alter the substance of legislative decisions.