Maddy summaryHB 411 expands Louisiana's existing "Fire Service Bill of Rights" to explicitly include emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, directly affecting firefighters and EMTs statewide. The bill adds 11 specific rights to the existing framework, covering areas like safety protections during emergencies, access to modern equipment, family support for on-duty deaths, education on hazardous materials, and recognition as first responders. It formally establishes a "Louisiana Fire and Emergency Medical Services Service Bill of Rights" to safeguard these rights under state law. The bill is currently pending in the Health and Welfare Committee after being prefiled and referred in April 2025. This is a procedural amendment to existing law, not a new policy.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryHB 5 requires Louisiana public school systems to use savings from the Teachers' Retirement System to provide permanent salary increases for teachers and other school employees starting in the 2025-2026 school year. Certificated staff, such as teachers and administrators, must receive at least a $2,000 raise, while non-certificated staff, including aides and clerical workers, must receive at least $1,000. The bill mandates that these salary increases include associated retirement costs and applies to employees on specific leaves, such as military or maternity leave, provided they remain in their approved positions. If a school district does not have enough savings to cover the full amount of these raises, the remaining cost is to be funded through the state's minimum foundation program formula. Additionally, the legislation clarifies that charter schools participating in the state retirement system must also comply with these salary increase requirements.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends the state code to update the citation for the section prohibiting certain disciplinary actions against students in elementary and secondary schools. The change corrects a reference from "17:416(B)(2)" to "17:416.1(B)(2)" to ensure the law is accurately cited in legal documents. By fixing this numbering error, the legislation helps maintain the integrity of the existing rules that govern how schools must treat student discipline. The update does not alter the actual disciplinary restrictions but ensures the legal framework is properly referenced.
Maddy summaryHB 888 is a procedural amendment that removes the word "authorities" from a specific line in the Social Work Licensure Compact legislation. This change does not alter the actual rules or requirements for social workers but serves as a minor text correction within the bill. The amendment affects the legislative record of the compact, which governs how social workers can practice across state lines, but it does not create new obligations or rights for practitioners.
Maddy summaryThis bill officially designates the existing Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Veterans Memorial Park in Lake Charles as the state's Louisiana Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The primary change is adding a new section to the state code to formally recognize this specific location with that official title. The legislation does not alter the physical memorial or its funding, but rather establishes its legal status as the designated memorial for the state.
Maddy summaryThis Louisiana bill adds Tianeptine, a substance increasingly used for its sedative effects, to Schedule I of the state's Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law. By placing it in this category, the legislation classifies Tianeptine as having a high potential for abuse and no currently accepted medical use within the state. The law applies to any material containing Tianeptine, including its salts and isomers, unless it is part of a product approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Consequently, this change subjects the substance to the strictest level of regulation, making possession, distribution, and use subject to criminal penalties similar to those for other Schedule I drugs.
Maddy summaryHB 42 makes a minor grammatical correction to the Municipal Police Employees' Retirement System by changing two instances of the verb "is" to "are" in the text. This adjustment ensures the language agrees with the plural subject it describes, improving the clarity of the statute. The change does not alter any financial rules, benefits, or eligibility requirements for police officers or the system itself. It is a technical amendment focused solely on fixing a wording error rather than introducing new policy.
Maddy summaryThis bill modifies the rules for disclosing money spent on electioneering communications by changing how the law defines what counts as advocacy. It removes language that allowed for a reasonable interpretation of whether a message was political, replacing it with a stricter standard that requires a person to clearly appear to be advocating for a candidate. These changes directly affect political groups and individuals who spend money on media communications during elections, ensuring that any such spending is subject to mandatory financial reporting. By eliminating ambiguity in the definition of advocacy, the bill aims to make the disclosure requirements more straightforward and enforceable.
Maddy summaryHB 467 is a procedural bill that amends the state code to update references regarding the sale of raw milk and commercial animal feeds. The legislation modifies existing sections to include new requirements for monthly salmonella testing, record-keeping, and labeling standards for raw milk producers. It also grants the commissioner of agriculture the authority to temporarily suspend the sale of raw milk if it poses an immediate health threat, while allowing legislative committees to review and override such suspensions. Because the bill text indicates no impact on current laws and primarily serves to align statutory references, it functions as a technical update rather than introducing new substantive policy.
Maddy summaryThis bill modifies the deadline for parishes to request a waiver of matching funds for capital outlay projects, extending the eligibility period through June 30, 2027. It directly affects parishes in Louisiana that seek financial assistance for infrastructure and construction projects without having to provide matching funds. The key provision is a simple date adjustment in the existing law, allowing these requests to be made for a longer timeframe than previously allowed. This change does not alter the requirement for a waiver itself, only the window during which a parish can apply for one.