Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a Sexual Assault Survivor's Bill of Rights for licensed hospitals and healthcare providers in Louisiana, ensuring that survivors can choose whether to report an assault to law enforcement without losing access to medical care or evidence collection. It mandates that all survivors receive timely, private examinations and treatment by qualified providers, with the option to have an advocate present during forensic exams. The legislation also outlines specific procedures for collecting and preserving evidence, including a requirement that unreported evidence be stored securely for at least one year and transferred to law enforcement within seventy-two hours if the facility can maintain proper chain of custody.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits individuals from picketing directly in front of a person's home or dwelling, specifically within fifty feet of the property. It updates existing laws to clarify that the restriction applies to the immediate vicinity of a residence rather than a broader area nearby. The legislation also expands the scope to include situations where the picketing interferes with an individual's control over their property or use of their home. These changes aim to provide clearer legal boundaries for what constitutes prohibited picketing behavior near private residences.
Maddy summaryHB 443 is a procedural amendment that corrects specific references within a law regarding the confidentiality of records for certain protected individuals. The bill does not introduce new policies or change existing rules but instead updates the text to align paragraph and subsection numbering with the current legal structure. This technical adjustment ensures the statute accurately describes how confidentiality protections apply without altering the actual rights or obligations involved.
Maddy summaryHB 577 prohibits social media companies from collecting data on minors to use for targeted advertising. The law directly affects children under the age of 18 and the digital platforms that serve them. By restricting how these companies gather and utilize personal information from young users, the bill aims to limit their ability to show ads based on the habits and preferences of minors. This measure represents a concrete change in commercial regulations without speculating on its broader economic or social impacts.
Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new state crime for unlawfully entering or reentering Louisiana as an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States. It defines "alien" to include anyone unlawfully present in the state and specifies that lawful presence covers U.S. citizens, permanent residents, visa holders, and those with asylum status. The legislation establishes penalties for the offense and includes an exemption for aliens who are victims or necessary witnesses to serious crimes such as domestic violence, rape, and human trafficking. Additionally, the bill authorizes the governor to negotiate an interstate compact with other states to deter unlawful entry and reentry.
Maddy summarySB 294 is a procedural bill that amends an existing statute to clarify protections for free speech and First Amendment activities on college and university campuses. The legislation does not introduce new policies but instead makes technical corrections to the text of the law, such as removing unnecessary words and fixing formatting errors. These changes ensure the legal language accurately reflects the intended protections without altering the substantive rules governing campus speech.
Maddy summaryThis bill modifies the age eligibility requirements for the M.J. Foster Promise Program, a Louisiana initiative that provides tuition assistance to low-income students. Instead of requiring applicants to be at least 21 years old, the legislation introduces a gradual phase-in process that lowers the minimum age over four years. Starting with the 2024-2025 academic year, the age requirement will drop to 20 and continue decreasing annually until it reaches 17 for all subsequent years. These changes directly affect high school graduates and current students seeking to enroll in the program under new, more accessible age criteria.
Maddy summaryThis bill creates one new judgeship for the 23rd Judicial District Court to address staffing needs in that specific court. To fund this position, the legislation allocates an additional $462,884 in state budget resources. The change directly affects the court's ability to assign cases to an additional judge and requires the state to increase its spending on judicial salaries.
Maddy summaryHB 267 is a procedural bill that does not yet establish specific requirements for numeracy education in Louisiana schools. Instead, it sets a condition stating that the law will only take effect once the legislature passes a separate bill providing the necessary funding. This measure directly affects the implementation timeline for any future numeracy programs targeting kindergarten through third-grade students. Because the bill relies on future funding legislation to become active, it currently serves as a placeholder rather than an immediate policy change.
Maddy summaryThis bill updates employment rules to require that minors under sixteen receive a thirty-minute break for meals or recreation during any five-hour work shift. The law allows for a small amount of flexibility, treating a ten-minute overrun of the five-hour limit or a twenty-minute break as minor errors that do not count as violations. Employers must document these breaks using their standard timekeeping systems and must also write down any corrections made to a minor's clock-in or clock-out times. These changes directly affect businesses that hire young workers and aim to ensure they have regular rest periods without adding significant administrative burdens.