Rep. Wilford Carter

Maddy summarySB 182 allows Louisiana's Department of Health to temporarily suspend Medicaid prior authorization and other utilization management requirements during a declared emergency. This applies broadly to all Medicaid recipients for essential healthcare services, removing prior restrictions that specifically mentioned cancer treatment or oncology care. The bill's key mechanism gives the Department authority to ensure uninterrupted access to medical services when emergencies like natural disasters or public health crises occur. It affects all Medicaid beneficiaries in Louisiana by streamlining access to necessary care during emergencies. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate and is now pending in the House.

Maddy summaryHB 408, known as "The Gillian Guiffreda Act," mandates that health insurance plans cover treatments for pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) and related conditions. This directly affects children diagnosed with PANS - a severe neurological condition causing sudden behavioral and cognitive changes - and their families, who previously faced barriers to insurance coverage for specialized care. The bill requires insurers to provide coverage for medically necessary treatments related to these conditions, without imposing additional out-of-pocket costs on patients. It focuses on ensuring access to established medical care rather than creating new treatments or programs.

Maddy summarySB 126 adds a specific exemption for charter schools from reporting school mapping data requirements under Louisiana law (R.S. 17:416.16.1). The bill directly affects charter schools operating under Louisiana's Chapter 3996, exempting them from this data collection mandate unless otherwise required by their approved charter. Key provisions clarify that charter schools are exempt from "all statutory mandates" applicable to public schools, with this mapping data requirement explicitly listed as one of the exempted provisions. This change modifies existing law to remove a specific reporting obligation for charter schools, while public schools remain subject to the mapping data requirement. The bill focuses on administrative clarity for charter schools within existing legal frameworks.

Maddy summarySB 178 establishes a School Employee Bill of Rights document for all school employees in the state. It creates a formal framework outlining workplace rights and protections, directly affecting teachers, support staff, and other school personnel. The bill passed the Senate unanimously (36-1) and is now moving to the House for consideration. This is a procedural bill focused on defining employee rights through documentation, not implementing new operational policies.

Maddy summarySB 42 is a technical amendment to clarify which state office oversees perinatal behavioral health treatment services. It corrects the reference from "office of group benefits" to the properly capitalized "Office of Group Benefits" in the bill text. This change affects administrative processes within the state's health care system but does not alter eligibility, funding, or patient access to perinatal mental health services. The bill focuses solely on updating terminology for clarity in existing policy language.

Maddy summaryHB 684 restricts the use of seclusion and physical restraint for students with disabilities in schools, requiring staff to first implement behavioral interventions. The bill clarifies that such interventions must address the student's behavior before restraint is considered, with a minor technical amendment correcting wording from "Behavior" to "Behavioral" in the text. This is a procedural adjustment with no new costs or policy changes, as noted by "EN NO IMPACT," and it directly affects school staff and students with disabilities in public education settings. The bill passed the House unanimously (99-0) and is now pending in the Senate.

Maddy summaryHB 126 modifies how Louisiana calculates state funding for parish councils on aging, increasing the minimum annual appropriation by $3.5 million to the Office of Elderly Affairs. This change directly affects local parish councils that provide services for seniors, ensuring they receive a higher guaranteed minimum funding level each year. The bill updates the funding formula to reflect this increased baseline amount, which must be included in the state budget. The policy change is a concrete financial adjustment to support aging services programs across Louisiana parishes.

Maddy summaryHB 238 creates new tax deductions for Louisiana taxpayers covering education expenses: full tuition deductions for private school (up to $6,000 per child), 50% deductions for home-schooling costs (up to $6,000 per child), and 50% deductions for certain public school expenses (up to $6,000 per child). It directly affects parents who claim children as dependents on federal tax returns and pay for qualifying education. The bill also requires child welfare agencies to annually report adoption details and foster care organization information to the tax department. All deductions are capped at $6,000 per child and tied to federal dependency claims.

Maddy summaryHB 106 amends the name of a street within the Gentilly Development District in Orleans Parish, changing "Robert E. Lee Boulevard" to "Allen Toussaint Boulevard." The bill directly affects the geographic designation of this specific district area. It contains no substantive policy changes, only a technical correction to the street name referenced in the district's description. This is a procedural renaming bill with no new regulations or funding impacts.

Maddy summaryThis Louisiana state resolution (HR 369) urges Congress and federal health agencies to maintain current Medicaid funding levels for hospitals in Louisiana. It specifically requests that the Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services avoid policy changes that would reduce reimbursements, which could lead to hospital service cuts or closures - particularly affecting rural facilities serving medically underserved communities. The resolution also calls for immediate approval of pending payment plans for Louisiana hospitals and physicians. Adopted unanimously by the Louisiana House on June 12, 2025, it is a formal request to federal officials, not a binding law.