Key Conservative Bills Pending in Legislature

 Here is the status of some of the major bills that are under consideration in the current regular session of the Louisiana Legislature. The list has been updated through Wednesday night, May 24, 2023.  The recommendation of YES or NO is the recommendation of the Central City News.  Details about all bills, including the text, authors, fiscal notes, votes cast, and videos of debate on the bill in committee and on the House or Senate floor can be found at www.legis.la.gov.

RIGHT TO LIFE 

HB346 by Rep. Boyd – NO – Provides for exceptions to the abortion laws of this state relative to rape and incest. Reported unfavorably 5 to 10. Dead for session. 

HB461 by Rep. Dubuisson – NO – Exceptions to right to life. Deferred 9-0.  Dead for session 

HB522 by Rep. Freeman – NO – Redefines abortion, imposes fines in place of imprisonment when an abortion has been performed. Deferred 8-0-1. Dead for session 

HEALTH FREEDOM 

HB182 by Rep. Edmonston – YES –  Provides that no person shall be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of enrollment or attendance at any public or nonpublic school. Passed House 64-28. Pending in Senate Education Committee.  

HB399 by Rep. Edmonston – YES  – Requires that communication with parents about immunization requirements include that they have right to decline vaccine. Passed House 85-6. Pending in Senate Education Committee. 

HB648 by Rep. Firment – YES – Prohibits procedures to alter the sex of a minor child – Save Adolescents From Experimentation Act – Passed House 71-24. Failed in Senate Health & Welfare 4-5. The bill is likely dead but the Senate could vote to require the committee to report the bill and then pass it.. 

HB291 by Rep. Owen – YES – Protects right of family to visit patient in health care facilities. No One Should Die Alone Act.Passed House 100-0.  Passed Senate committee. Pending on Senate floor.

HB372 by Rep. Edmonston – YES – Provides mandates of World Health Organization will have no effect in Louisiana and mandates of CDC will be advisory only. Failed House Welfare Committee 4-7. Reconsidered and failed again 6-8. Dead for session.  

HB471 by Rep. Freiberg – NO – Authorizes pharmacy interns to administer certain vaccines; decreases the age threshold above which a person may receive a vaccine. Passed House floor 58-43. Pending in Senate. 

HB648 by Rep. Rep. Crews – YES – Disclosure by healthcare facilities to patients of prices for certain items and services. Passed House floor 71-24. Pending in Senate. 

HR106 by Rep. Newell – NO – Declares racism a public health crisis and urges certain actions by the governor and specific state entities. Pending in House Health & Welfare Committee.

EDUCATION  

HR10 by Rep. Amedee – YES- Requests state Dept. of Education to revise the proposed early learning and development standards and submit its version to BESE for consideration. Failed in House 50-51. Dead for session. 

HB8 by Rep. Horton – YES – Requires public schools to display the national motto, “In God We Trust,” in every classroom. Passed House 98-4. Passed Senate Education Committee.  Pending on Senate floor.

HB81 by Rep. Crews – YES – Provides schools will use names and pronouns for students as provided on birth certificate. Passed House 62-32. Pending in Senate Education Committee.

HB68 by Rep. Hodges – YES – Authorizes public high schools to offer a course of instruction in the history and literature of the Bible. Passed House 87-10. Passed Senate Education Committee. Pending on Senate floor.

HB86 by Rep. Hodges – YES – Protect Teachers from Liability Act. Passed House 94-0.  Passed Senate Education Committee. Pending on Senate floor. 

SB46 by Sen. Abraham – NO  – Provides parishes can bypass state review of textbooks and other instructional materials and still be funded by state. Passed Senate and House Education Committee. Pending on House floor.

HB121 by Rep. Amedee – YES – Requires public schools to provide at least one recess period per school day in schools K-5.  Passed House 66-8. Pending in Senate Education Committee 

HB98 by Rep. Harris – YES – Creates a program to provide state funding for the education of students not enrolled in public school and expands the ability of parents to enroll children in the public school of their choice. Passed House 61-37. Pending in Senate Education Committee. 

HB9 by Rep. Butler – YES – Creates a program to provide state funding for the education of students with exceptionalities not enrolled in public school. Passed House Education and Appropriations committees. Pending on House floor.  

HB164 by Rep. Cox – NO – Lowers the minimum ACT score required for initial qualification for a TOPS-Tech Award from 17 to 15. Passed House Education Committee. Pending in House Appropriations. 

 EDUCATION – SUNSHINE  

HB462 by Rep. Edmonds – YES – Requires school board to post certain fiscal information on their websites. Passed House 97-1. Pending in Senate Education Committee. 

DECLARATION OF RIGHTS

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY 

SB63 by Sen. Mizell – YES – Constitutional Amendment to provide that the right of freedom of worship in churches or other places of worship is a fundamental right that is worthy of the highest order of protection. Any regulation would be subject to strict scrutiny or any higher standard. This is not being added to the Declaration but later in the Constitution.  It does not change the language of the Freedom of Religion in  the Declaration of Rights but rather provides an enforcement mechanism to prevent the closure of churches as in 2020.  Passed Senate 39-0. Pending in House.

DECLARATION OF RIGHTS

RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS 

HB131 by Rep. McCormick – YES – Provides for constitutional carry of firearms concealed. Passed House 71-29.Pending in Senate committee. 

LIBRARIES 

HB628 by Rep. Hodges – YES – Changes membership of the Livingston Parish Library Board of Control. Passed House 80-15. Pending in Senate Education Committee. 

SB7 Sen. Cloud – YES – Provides access to certain materials in public libraries. Passed Senate 27-11. Passed House committee. Pending on House floor. 

CRIME 

  HB580 by Rep. Huval – NO – Prohibits the use of a wireless telecommunications device while operating a motor vehicle in school zones. Passed House Appropriations Committee. Pending on House floor. 

HB321 by Rep. Villio – YES – Truth and Transparency in the Louisiana Criminal Justice System Pilot Program. Passed House 63-36. Pending in Senate committee.

HB16 by Rep. Schlegel – YES – Relative to simple burglary, provides minimum sentence of one year for multiple convictions. There is no current minimum.  Passed House 71-25. Pending in Senate Judiciary C. 

HB211 by Rep. Jordan – NO as introduced – Constitutional amendment to prohibit involuntary servitude for commission of crime. Convicted criminals would not be subject to hard labor or any labor in prison.  Amended to provide that inmates convicted of crime would be required to work. Passed House 98-0. Pending in Senate. 

NATURAL RESOURCES

ENERGY, CARBON CAPTURE 

HB10 by Rep. Robby Carter – YES – Removes eminent domain authority of carbon dioxide storage facility operators. Deferred 9-4. Dead for session.

HB35 by Rep. Robby Carter – YES – Ban Carbon Capture in St. Helena Parish Failed in committee 5-7. Dead for session. 

HB312 by Rep. Robby Carter – YES Provides liability for damages resulting from carbon sequestration. Natural Resources Committee voted to recommit the bill to House Civil Law.  Died in committee.  

HB120 by Rep. Muscarello – YES – Prohibits the permitting of above-surface structures for carbon capture on Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain. Failed in House 27-72. Dead for session. 

HB267 by Rep. Wheat – YES – Places a moratorium on carbon dioxide sequestration projects on Lake Maurepas and the Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area Failed in House 24-75. Dead for session. 

HB308 by Rep. Wheat – YES – Requires an environmental impact statement as part of the coastal use permit application process for carbon capture projects in Lake Maurepas and the Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area. Failed in House Natural Resources Committee 6-7. Dead for session.

HB453 by Rep. Mack – YES – Requires that carbon dioxide injected for geologic sequestration using a Class VI injection well be transported to and sequestered in a storage facility in the Gulf of Mexico.  House Natural Resources voted to defer 11-2. Dead for session.

HB454 by Rep. Mack – YES – Requires a local election for the approval of carbon dioxide sequestration within a parish. House Natural Resources Committee voted to defer 8-6.  Dead for session. 

HB571 by Rep. Schexnayder – YES – Carbon Capture. Passed House 98-1. Passed in Senate Natural Resources.  Pending in Senate Finance Committee.

GENERAL GOVERNMENT 

SCR21 by Sen. Cathey – YES – Sovereign right of Louisiana to nullify unconstitutional acts of the federal government. Passed Senate committee. Pending on Senate floor. 

HB125 by Rep. Echols – YES – Protects agriculture land for being purchased by foreign adversaries Passed by House Agriculture Committee and House Appropriations Committee. Passed House 99-0. Pending in Senate Agriculture Committee.  

SB206 by Sen. Milligan – YES – Restricts foreign interest in certain Louisiana research facilities. Passed Senate 33-0 and House Education Committee.  Pending on House floor.

HB361 by Rep. Deshotel – YES – Prohibits the use of TikTok and related applications on computers and networks owned or leased by the state. Passed House floor 102-0. Passed Senate committee. Pending on Senate floor. 

HB537 by Rep. Hodges – YES – Prohibits foreign adversary purchasing, leasing, or acquiring land in Louisiana. Passed House 76-24.  Pending in Senate committee. 

HB77 by Rep. Schlegel – YES – Provides for attorney general to investigate publishers and distributors of material harmful to minors. Passed House 102-1. Passed Senate Judiciary Committee B. Pending on Senate floor. 

SB168 by Sen. Fields – NO – Packs the 1st Court of Appeals with another liberal judge. Passed Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs. Defeated on Senate floor.  Likely dead for session. However, notice of reconsideration given.

PARENTAL RIGHTS 

 HB152 by Rep. Amedee – YES –  To amend the Declaration of Rights of the Louisiana Constitution to add a section on Parental Rights. Passed House Civil Law Committee. In the House, a two-thirds vote is required for passage. It received 64 yeas and 27 nays, short of the 70 votes required for passage. Dead for session.

HB466 by Rep. Horton – YES – To prohibit discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools. Passed the House 67-28. Pending in Senate Education Committee.  

ELECTIONS 

HB311 by Rep. Miguez – YES – Prohibits the use of monies from a foreign government or nongovernmental source to fund elections. Passed House 70-30. Pending in Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs.  

SB123 by Sen. Henry – YES – Lower threshold requirement for recall petitions. Passed Senate 36-0. Passed House committee. Pending on House floor. 

HR1 by Rep. Schlegel – YES – Re-

moval of dead voters from rolls. Passed House 98-0. Signed by Speaker. 

HB646 by Rep. Farnum – YES Provides for a supplemental annual canvass of registered voters . Passed House 70-33. Passed by Senate committee. Pending on Senate floor.   

HB212 by Rep. Hollis – YES – Provides that the number of electors required to sign a recall petition shall be a percentage of the number of electors who voted in the contest electing the public official to his office. Passed House 71-29. Pending in Senate. 

HB538 by Rep. Jenkins – NO – Setting up more early vote locations. Died in House committee  

SB203 by Sen. Cloud – YES –  Allows for Registrar of Voters correction of errors and enforce strictor verification of domicile 

Failed in Committee. Dead for session.

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION 

HB40 by Rep. Boyd – NO – Prohibits intentional employment discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. Failed in committee 5-7. Dead for session. 

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

TAX POLICY 

BANKING 

HB415 by Rep. Amedee – YES – Opposes Central Bank Digital Currency. Passed House 97-0. Pending in Senate.