Maddy summarySB 43 establishes Louisiana's Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Program within the Department of Health to fund clinical studies using psychedelic medications (like psilocybin) for treating opioid use disorders, co-occurring substance use disorders, and treatment-resistant mental health conditions. The program requires academic health centers to meet strict federal and state compliance standards - including FDA approval, safety protocols, and therapist qualifications - to conduct these studies. Eligible patients, including those with the specified conditions, may participate, and parishes can use opioid settlement funds to enroll residents. The bill mandates annual progress reports from participating centers and requires coordination with other states conducting similar research. This is a research-focused program, not a policy allowing general therapeutic use.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryHB 812 authorizes a 5% annual increase in salary for Louisiana parish assessors (who determine property values for tax purposes) through 2029. The bill requires assessors to publish a 30-day notice in their parish's official journal before implementing each raise, with the first increase effective in 2026. The raises apply to all assessors regardless of parish size, building on existing salary tiers based on population. This change affects approximately 64 parish assessors statewide, with four scheduled increases (one per year) over the 2026-2029 period. The law takes effect July 1, 2026, pending legislative approval if vetoed.
Maddy summaryHB 352 requires Louisiana public school districts to create and publish policies enabling behavioral health services for students during school hours. It allows services in classrooms during instructional time (including core subjects) if parents provide a provider-approved evaluation and treatment plan showing medical necessity, with in-person supervision by certified behavior analysts required. The bill defines key terms like "medically necessary services" and mandates that schools collaborate with providers to schedule services without disrupting school operations or testing. It directly affects public school students needing behavioral health support, their parents, school administrators, and behavioral health providers.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends Louisiana law to require the Medicaid program to cover continuous glucose monitors for pregnant women with diabetes who use insulin more than twice daily or have experienced severe low blood sugar. The change specifically includes gestational diabetes, ensuring that eligible expectant mothers receive access to these monitoring devices as part of their treatment plan. By updating the state's Medicaid statutes, the legislation directly affects pregnant enrollees and the healthcare providers who administer their care.
Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the Nursing Home Choice Act, requires Louisiana to provide counseling and alternative options to residents and families of nursing homes that receive the lowest one-star quality rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. When a facility is rated one star, staff must offer immediate access to community-based services or transfer residents to a higher-rated nursing home, and potential residents must be notified before placement to explore alternatives. The law also mandates that one-star facilities submit a remediation plan with specific improvement targets within 30 days, provide quarterly progress reports, and face additional monitoring and potential sanctions if they fail to improve their rating within two years. These requirements apply to all nursing homes with a one-star rating on October 1, 2026, and remain in effect until the facility achieves a rating of two stars or higher.
Maddy summaryHB 401 designates the elevated section of U.S. Highway 190 over the Bogue Falaya River in Covington, St. Tammany Parish, as the "Corporal Justin D. McLeese Memorial Bridge" to honor a military corporal. The bill requires the Louisiana Department of Transportation to install signage reflecting this name, using local or private funds to cover costs up to $2,250 per sign. This is a ceremonial naming bill with no substantive policy changes, solely commemorating an individual through a public infrastructure designation.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires health insurance companies in Louisiana to cover mobile crisis response and behavioral health crisis care services when provided by eligible licensed providers. The law mandates that these services do not need prior authorization from insurers and allows providers to coordinate with the state's Crisis Hub for information sharing. Coverage may include standard cost-sharing options like deductibles and copayments, while reimbursement methods remain up to each insurer's discretion. The bill defines these services as short-term, recovery-focused interventions for adults and children experiencing mental health or substance use crises, with an effective date of July 1, 2027.
Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a new medical reimbursement schedule for Louisiana workers' compensation claims, directly affecting healthcare providers, employers, and insurance carriers. It creates an All Workers' Compensation Medical Claims Database to track medical and pharmacy claims data, with mandatory reporting requirements for providers while maintaining strict confidentiality protections for individual data. The bill sets reimbursement rates at the 75th percentile of established medical fee directories for most services, limits annual fee changes to five percent unless specific conditions are met, and requires biennial reviews of all fee schedules. Additionally, it creates a formal dispute resolution process for billing disagreements between healthcare providers and claimants, with decisions required within 15 business days.
Maddy summarySB 29 requires Louisiana coroners to perform autopsies on infants under one year and children under fifteen who die unexpectedly without explanation. The autopsies must include toxicology, microscopic exams, and review of immunization records from the state registry, with coroners documenting recent immunizations in the report. Coroner findings of sudden infant death (SIDS) or similar causes must be reported to local health units within 48 hours and to the CDC/NIH registry. Parents may object in writing to an autopsy, but coroners may override this if public health or safety requires it. The bill directly affects coroners, health departments, and the state immunization registry.
Maddy summaryHB 430, known as the "MJ 911 Act," mandates that Lafayette Parish employers provide lifelong health insurance coverage for surviving spouses and children (including step- or adopted children) of law enforcement officers or firefighters killed in the line of duty. Specifically, it requires employers to pay for health insurance for surviving spouses for life and for children until age 18 (or until 23 if enrolled in school or disabled). The law applies retroactively to January 1, 2017, for all qualifying families and ensures coverage matches what active members receive. It does not require families to accept the coverage, allowing them to decline it if desired.