Week 7 Legislative Update – 2026 Regular Session

April 24, 2026

The seventh week of the 2026 Regular Session carried lawmakers past the midpoint and fully into the “crossover” phase of session. With both chambers having worked through much of their own originating legislation over the opening weeks, the Senate has now begun moving House-passed bills through committees and the floor, and the House is doing the same with Senate measures. The pace will only accelerate between now and the constitutionally mandated June 1 adjournment.

 This week featured a significant floor defeat for a proposed overhaul of TOPS, continued debate over the future of the Board of Regents, final legislative approval of a controversial bill restructuring the Orleans Parish clerks of court, and a hard-fought second attempt to reshape how criminal defendants waive jury trials. 

Higher Education: TOPS, Board of Regents, and LUMCON

A proposal to require TOPS recipients to repay their scholarships if they lost eligibility was defeated on the House floor Tuesday on a 38-62 vote. HB385 by Rep. Dennis Bamburg (R-Bossier City) had been amended on the floor to limit repayment to only the semester in which a student lost eligibility — down from the original version, which would have required repayment of all TOPS dollars a student had received — but even the narrower version drew opposition from both parties. Legislators questioned whether the framework would effectively convert TOPS into a student loan program, how repayment would be collected, what interest rates would apply, and the potential credit consequences for students who defaulted.

The TOPS debate came as the Legislature is simultaneously considering whether to reshape, or eliminate, the Board of Regents itself. Three bills targeting the 15-member higher education oversight body are under consideration. The most aggressive, HB 391 by Rep. Dixon McMakin (R-Baton Rouge), is a constitutional amendment that would ask voters whether to abolish the constitutionally-established agency outright. Rep. McMakin has said he intends to hold a hearing on the bill near the end of session and call a Regents representative to defend its functions, but he does not expect the measure to pass this year. On the other end of the spectrum, SB 478 by Sen. Gerald Boudreaux (D-Lafayette) would redefine and strengthen the Board’s financial oversight powers; Sen. Boudreaux has said he does not have a lot of confidence that each system can govern itself. The only bill actively moving is SB 484 by Sen. Mark Abraham (R-Lake Charles), which would redistribute some of the Regents’ functions to other state agencies while preserving a coordinating role. Sen. Abraham’s bill cleared Senate Education earlier this month and awaits Senate floor action; he has indicated he plans to incorporate portions of Sen. Boudreaux’s bill by amendment.

Orleans Parish Court Consolidation

The House gave final legislative approval Thursday to SB 256 by Sen. Jay Morris (R-West Monroe), a measure to merge Orleans Parish’s civil and criminal clerks of court offices into a single parishwide clerk position. The bill passed 63-28 over sustained Democratic opposition and will return briefly to the Senate for concurrence on a House amendment before heading to Gov. Jeff Landry, who has publicly pledged to sign it.

Once signed, the Criminal Clerk seat will be abolished just days before Calvin Duncan, who defeated incumbent Darren Lombard last November with roughly 38,000 votes, is set to assume office. Current Civil Clerk Chelsea Richard Napoleon would be installed as the consolidated parishwide clerk, overseeing a new consolidated judicial expense fund covering operational costs. Sen. Morris amended the bill midway through the process to make the law effective immediately upon the governor’s signature, a change designed to prevent Duncan from ever taking office and potentially delaying the consolidation. At least two dozen House Democrats gathered at the front of the chamber in opposition, arguing the measure crosses a constitutional line by overriding the will of Orleans Parish voters. Rep. Candace Newell (D-New Orleans), one of ten Democrats who spoke against the bill, said lawmakers should not change the rules of the game after the game has been played. Rep. Dixon McMakin (R-Baton Rouge) carried the bill on the House floor and framed the consolidation as bringing Orleans into alignment with every other Louisiana parish.

SB 256 is part of a broader Morris-led package aimed at restructuring the Orleans Parish judiciary, including separate measures reducing judgeships in the parish’s criminal and juvenile courts. Orleans is the only Louisiana parish that currently operates independent civil, criminal, and juvenile courts. Rep. McMakin had been scheduled to also present his own bill Thursday, a measure to combine the three trial courts into a consolidated 41st Judicial District but pulled it back after the lengthy debate on SB 256.

Election Update: 5th Congressional District Race Heats Up

Campaign activity in the 5th Congressional District race accelerated sharply this week, and the contest has direct implications for the legislative process: three of the four major Republican candidates are sitting Louisiana lawmakers. State Sen. Blake Miguez of New Iberia, state Sen. Rick Edmonds of Baton Rouge, state Rep. Michael Echols of Monroe, and Board of Regents Chair Misti Cordell of Monroe are all competing to replace U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, who is giving up the seat to challenge U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy. The primary is May 16, with early voting running May 2-9, and a potential runoff on June 27. Seven other Republicans and five Democrats are also on the ballot. The 21-parish district stretches from Baton Rouge to the Arkansas border and takes roughly three and a half hours to drive across.

Sen. Miguez holds some of the race’s leading assets: President Trump’s endorsement and $3.9 million cash on hand through the end of March, bolstered by a $3 million personal loan. Rep. Echols reported $1.3 million on hand, Cordell $480,000, and Sen. Edmonds $280,000. Sen. Miguez’s New Iberia residence, roughly 70 miles outside the district’s nearest boundary, has drawn a consistent line of attack from all three competitors.

Criminal Defendants and Jury Trial Waivers

Two bills addressing when and how criminal defendants can waive their right to a jury trial advanced this week, producing some of the session’s most heated floor debate. HB 310 by Rep. Josh Carlson (R-Lafayette) cleared the House on a 57-36 vote Wednesday, reversing an earlier April 9 floor vote that had failed by three. The bill would automatically reassign a criminal case to a different, randomly selected judge in the division whenever a defendant waives a jury trial, unless the prosecutor objects. Carlson has argued the change would bring Louisiana in line with 31 other states and address what he has described as defendants steering cases to judges perceived as biased toward acquittal. The Seventh Amendment guarantees a jury trial but does not explicitly guarantee the right to waive one; the Louisiana Constitution, however, does.

A parallel measure, SB 97 by Sen. Jay Morris (R-West Monroe), is a proposed constitutional amendment that would require district attorney approval for a defendant to waive a jury trial in any criminal case not involving the death penalty. SB 97 has cleared the Senate and now awaits a House committee hearing.

Energy and CCS Bills

House Natural Resources debated a significant energy bill this week in HB 804 by Rep. Brett Geymann (R-Lake Charles), which creates the Louisiana Energy Protection Act. The purpose of the bill is to protect energy production in the state and limit claims against industry for injury or harm to people or property caused by emissions attributed to climate change. Industry leaders like Tommy Faucheux of LMOGA and David Cresson of LCA voiced their support for the bill, which they argued would benefit Louisiana’s job creators and crack down on "frivolous" coastal and legacy lawsuits that keep Louisiana’s largest industrial companies sinking resources into defending themselves in court. The bill drew widespread support from lawmakers as well and was reported favorably. Notably, some legislators made a point to mention that the amended bill would not hinder carbon capture related lawsuits.

SB 490, which provides for private use electric networks, awaits a final Senate floor vote next week. Rep. Chuck Owen (R-Rosepine)’s HB 566, which prohibits use of state funds in support of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions policies, has been scheduled for a House Appropriations hearing next week.

Most of the energy & CCS bills below have yet to be considered:

HB 621 from Rep. Kim Coates (R-Ponchatoula) requires recycling of decommissioned renewable energy infrastructure, while HB 637 from Rep. Jacob Landry (R-Erath) establishes reduced rates for oilfield site restoration fees and is currently waiting on a hearing in Senate Natural Resources.

Sen. Bill Wheat (R-Ponchatoula) has brought several bills taking aim at CCS and pipeline projects, including the “Louisiana Landowners Protection Act” (SB 60), legislation for local authorization of CCS projects (SB 61), and two instruments related to limiting construction of pipelines in certain areas (SB 62 and SB 63). Repeats of previous anti-CCS legislation will also appear, including local authorization requirements for CCS projects in St. Helena, Grant, Vernon, Beauregard, Sabine, and Allen parishes. Other bills include Rep. Danny McCormick (R-Oil City)’s HB 327, which declares that “carbon dioxide sequestration is illegal without a property owner’s consent.” Rep. Robby Carter (D-Greensburg) has filed House bills 79, which removes the “damage threshold for carbon capture release,” and 80, which “establishes strict liability for damages caused from carbon storage and transportation.” HB 509 requires a public hearing in the parish where a Class V or Class VI well is proposed. Further legislation which provides for compensation for pore space owners (HB 499) has also been filed. Rep. Rodney Schamerhorn (R-Hornbeck) has added a bill that prohibits the importation of captured carbon dioxide into Louisiana for sequestration. Most CCS-related bills will be debated on specific days to come during the Session.

More late-filed bills also address CCS projects: Rep. Robbie Carter’s HB 1136 bars CO² sequestration pipelines from being located in the same right-of-way as petroleum product pipelines. Another bill (HB 1144) from Rep. Chuck Owen (R-Rosepine) requires hazardous liquid pipeline operators to put a 24/7 contact phone number on required signs/line markers, annually certify that the contact information is current and always answered, bars waivers, and makes violations subject to existing pipeline signage penalties. Rep. Neil Riser (R-Columbia) also has a CCS bill (HB 1152) that creates a new CO² Community Safety and Protection program funded by continued post-cap CO² storage fees.

Insurance Bills

Notable insurance bills include HB 95, which provides relative to recovery of damages in an automobile accident when a claimant does not use available health insurance. HB 118 provides a limitation on recovery of general damages in certain circumstances. HB 197 establishes authorized uses, prohibited uses, and penalties for the unauthorized use of artificial intelligence by healthcare providers.

Rep. Gabe Firment (R-Pollock)’s HB 234 re-creates the Department of Insurance for four years, changing the termination date from July 1, 2027 to July 1, 2031. The bill has passed in the Senate. HB 736 from Rep. Kyle Green (D-Marrero) provides for the transparency of setting rates. Rep. Edmond Jordan (D-Baton Rouge)’s HB 794 creates the Louisiana First-Generation Homebuyer Assistance Act.

On the Senate side, SB 100 from Sen. Sam Jenkins (D-Shreveport) provides for proof of insurance of transportation network companies involved in an accident—this bill is scheduled for a final Senate floor vote next Monday. Sen. Jay Luneau (D-Alexandria)’s SB 246 establishes requirements for insurers using artificial intelligence, and it is scheduled for a final Senate vote next week as well.

Education Bills

Debates on several more key education bills are incoming. School choice and parental rights have featured prominently in the bills up for consideration. Rep. Michael Melerine (R-Shreveport)’s HB 186 creates the crime of theft of funds from the LA GATOR Scholarship Program. Rep. Ken Brass (D-Vacherie)’s HB 649, pending Senate Education, would require the establishment and administration of a statewide application process for dual enrollment programs. 

Important bills on teacher pay and workforce include Rep. Mike Echols (R-Monroe)’s HB 558 provides for the adjustment of teacher salary schedules as necessary to reach certain levels relative to the Southern regional average. SB 157 creates the “Parental Leave for Educators Act” and will up for a Senate floor vote next week.

In the arena of school operations and accountability: Sen. Beth Mizell (R-Franklinton)’s SB 82, which requires five-day public school weeks for grades one through 12, passed 10-3 in House Education and now awaits a full House debate. Additionally, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Pineville) has brought HB 578, the Restoring Biological Truth Act, which was reported with amendments out of House Civil Law and Procedure. In an alignment with federal efforts, Rep. Kim Carver (R-Mandeville) has authored a resolution (HCR 14) which expresses support for eliminating the U.S. Department of Education—this resolution has made its way to Senate Education. In the area of public funds usage, Rep. John Wyble (R-Franklinton)’s HB 229 prohibits the use of public funds for certain postsecondary degree programs.

Other Notable Bills

Rep. Mike Bayham (R-Chalmette)’s constitutional amendment (HB 225) to limit anyone who is elected governor to two total terms, failed in the House 67-22. The bill needed 70 votes to pass, but the bill can be brought up for another vote by Rep. Bayham. Rep. Tehmi Chassion (D-Lafayette)’s HB 608 creating a public records exemption for how college athletics programs spend public money did pass the House this week. In House & Governmental Affairs, members stalled Sen. Mark Abraham (R-Lake Charles)’s bill to give colleges a broad public record exemption on information regarding applicants for president, chancellor, and athletic coaching jobs until finalists are named. SB 289 had been approved by the Senate.

We will continue to monitor these issues and provide timely updates throughout the session. Please reach out to your SSG team with any questions.