Final Legislative Update – 2026 Regular Session

June 2, 2026

The Louisiana Legislature adjourned Sine Die (without a set date to reconvene) on Monday, June 1, closing out the 2026 Regular Session shortly before the constitutionally mandated 6:00pm cutoff time. The Legislature gave final passage to the package of money bills as amended by the Senate, Governor Jeff Landry signed a new congressional map into law within hours of passage, and lawmakers placed a gubernatorial term-limits amendment on the November ballot. This update reviews those developments along with other bills of interest.

 

The defeat of Constitutional Amendment 3 on May 16 continued to shape the session’s conclusion. Without the roughly $200 million the amendment would have generated to make teacher and support-staff stipends permanent, and with the Revenue Estimating Conference’s confirmed $103 million revenue shortfall, lawmakers finalized a budget that trimmed several education programs while continuing the multi-year buildup of public safety spending. The teacher-pay question was left for resolution after adjournment.

 

Legislature Adopts Final Budget

The Legislature gave final passage Friday to the package of budget bills for the fiscal year beginning July 1. To fund one-time priorities, lawmakers agreed to draw more than $800 million from the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund. Nearly $400 million is directed to roads, bridges, and other infrastructure; $50 million is set aside to attract business investment to specific economic development sites; $25 million is dedicated to a health care industry investment adjacent to the LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport; $10 million supports redevelopment of the shuttered Charity Hospital site in New Orleans; $5 million funds workforce development; and the remainder is allocated to member-directed local projects across the state.

 

The final spending plan preserved the public safety investments that defined the Senate Finance package. State firefighters who work wildfires received a $10,000 raise from a base of $28,000, and entry-level corrections cadets saw their hourly pay rise from $17.50 to $20.50, an increase officials hope will reduce one of the highest turnover and overtime burdens in state government. Those raises sit alongside the corrections officer, sheriff, local police, State Police trooper, and Capitol security allocations approved earlier in the process, as well as the expansion funding for the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola and the new youth criminal justice facility in Vernon Parish. The budget also added roughly $33.6 million to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for home and community-based services for individuals with developmental, intellectual, and adult-onset disabilities.

 

Several compensation items that were unsettled a week earlier were ultimately resolved. Although the Senate Finance Committee had stripped the $6.7 million that would have made last year’s judicial pay supplements permanent, judges secured those permanent raises of $10,000 to $12,000 through HB 324 by Rep. Debbie Villio (R-Kenner), and the budget restored the funds to support them. Because judicial pay is tied to sheriff pay, sheriffs receive corresponding increases.

 

On the education side, the budget reflected the Senate’s earlier reductions. The $43.5 million expansion of the LA GATOR school voucher program was removed for the second consecutive year, the Minimum Foundation Program allocation was lowered, and the proposed per-pupil operating cost increase intended to offset declining enrollment was rejected.

 

Teacher Pay Remains Unresolved

Permanent teacher pay was the most significant item left open at adjournment. The budget does not include the roughly $200 million needed to renew the $2,000 teacher and $1,000 support-staff stipends, and legislative leaders maintained that the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund cannot be used for the purpose because, after three consecutive years, the stipends now qualify as a recurring expense that triggers heightened restrictions on reserve spending. Gov. Landry has since committed to providing a one-time stipend for the coming year but has not identified a funding source, saying the state will use every tool in the toolbox. Reporting indicates as much as $150 million could be drawn from the Minimum Foundation Program, though formula changes cannot take effect until next year, and BESE, which sets the formula under the constitution, has said there is no time to revise it before the school year.

 

To chart a permanent path, the Governor and legislative leaders announced a new 15-member task force that will review the MFP and recommend a sustainable funding mechanism by December 31. Because the stipends are paid in December, the state retains some runway to act before educators would otherwise absorb the loss. Louisiana teachers remain roughly $6,000 below the Southern regional average and $16,000 below the national average.

 

Governor Signs New Congressional Map

Gov. Landry signed SB 121 by Sen. Jay Morris (R-West Monroe) into law Friday, hours after final passage, enacting a six-district congressional map that eliminates one of the state’s two majority-Democrat districts. After the House reworked several Acadiana, Baton Rouge, and north Louisiana boundaries and the chambers reconciled their differences, the final map retains a single New Orleans-anchored, majority-Democrat district held by Rep. Troy Carter and replaces the district previously held by Rep. Cleo Fields with a Baton Rouge-anchored, Republican-leaning seat, leaving five Republican-leaning districts overall.

 

Proponents argue the map follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which weakened a key provision of the Voting Rights Act and invalidated the prior two-district map. The Legislature also rescheduled this year’s congressional elections: qualifying will run August 5 to 7, a jungle primary will be held November 3, and any runoff will take place December 12. The map’s future is not yet settled. The Callais plaintiffs have signaled they may ask the federal district court to oversee a new map-drawing process, arguing the remaining majority-Democrat district does not satisfy the Supreme Court’s new standard, while African American legislative leaders are evaluating a challenge on the opposite theory that the map dilutes representation.

 

Constitutional Amendment: Gubernatorial Term Limits

HB 225 by Rep. Mike Bayham (R-Chalmette) places a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would limit governors to two terms total and remove the existing consecutive-terms language. A meaningful legal dispute remains over whether the change would apply retroactively to current and former governors, including Gov. Landry and former Govs. Edwards and Jindal. Because the bill contains no prospective-application date, some legislators argue prior terms would not count, while others contend the limit applies to anyone who has already served.

 

Fortified Roof Program Expansion

Gov. Landry signed HB 1187 by Rep. Paul Sawyer (R-Baton Rouge), which directs $50 million from the Louisiana Citizens surplus to the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program, on top of the $30 million already in the budget. The funding supports roughly 5,000 additional grants of up to $10,000 each, with the next lottery running June 1 to 19 and awards expected in October. The expansion is paired with the Department of Insurance’s pending rule requiring benchmark fortified-roof discounts ranging from 16 to 49 percent depending on region and upgrade level, scheduled to take effect January 1, and complements the existing $10,000 refundable tax credit for fortified roofs.

 

Local Fluoride Option

SB 4 by Sen. Mike Fesi (R-Houma), which allows local governing bodies to call elections on removing fluoride from public drinking water systems, cleared its final legislative hurdle and awaits the Governor’s signature. The bill requires a 15 percent voter petition to call the election and would apply to systems ranging from multi-parish water districts to small neighborhood systems. Fewer than 40 percent of Louisiana residents currently live in water districts that add fluoride, compared with a national average above 70 percent.

 

Public records bills

These key public records and related bills sit on the Governor’s desk:

1. HB 608 from Rep. Tehmi Chassion (D-Lafayette), which creates a records exemption to hide information for how college athletics programs spend public money on revenue sharing with athletes and individual sports.
2. SB 289 by Sen. Mark Abraham (R-Lake Charles) is waiting for the governor’s signature. Sen. Abraham’s bill creates public records exemptions for public colleges to hide info about applicants for president, athletic coaching jobs and other university leadership.
3. Rep. Tony Bacala (R-Prairieville)’s HB 67, which removes records at clerks of court offices and the ethics board from a law that allows many officials to get certain personal information redacted from online documents.

 

Energy bills

This Session, though not as much emphasis was placed on energy legislation, a few significant bills made their way to the Governor’s desk:

1. 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 and business leaders spoke in support of the bill, while a few spoke in opposition, such as the Sierra Club and a representative from the six parishes that have filed coastal lawsuits against oil and gas companies.
2. HB 621 from Rep. Kim Coates (R-Ponchatoula), which requires recycling of decommissioned renewable energy infrastructure.
3. HB 637 from Rep. Jacob Landry (R-Erath) establishes reduced rates for oilfield site restoration fees and was also reported favorably in Senate Natural Resources on Thursday.

While renewable energy was mostly omitted from significant legislation this Session, an energy resolution from Rep. Joe Orgeron (R-Cut Off), HR 279, did pass in the House on the final day of Session. The bill recognizes the value of geothermal energy development in the state.

 

Auto & Insurance related bills

A couple noteworthy auto and insurance related bills did make it to the Governor’s desk this Session, including:

1. SB 100 from Sen. Sam Jenkins (D-Shreveport). The bill provides for proof of insurance of transportation network companies involved in an accident.
2. Rep. Larry Bagley’s HB 1085 ending the need for vehicle owners to obtain safety inspection stickers, which would go into effect Jan. 1, 2027.

 

Education bills

A few significant education bills from this Session await the Governor’s signature and are listed below:

1. Rep. Chris Turner (R-Ruston)’sHB 1084, which allows Louisiana’s public colleges to raise tuition and fee rates without needing to get legislative approval.
2. Rep. Ken Brass (D-Vacherie)’sHB 649 would require the establishment and administration of a statewide application process for dual enrollment programs. 
3. SB 157 creates the “Parental Leave for Educators Act."
4. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Pineville)’s HB 578, the Restoring Biological Truth Act, has been signed by the Senate President.
5. HB 1084 by Rep. Chris Turner allows public colleges to raise tuition fees up to 10 percent per year.

 

Looking Ahead

With the session adjourned sine die, attention now shifts to the Governor’s desk. We will monitor all gubernatorial action, including any line-item vetoes within the appropriations bills, and will advise you promptly of any signature or veto that affects your interests.

 

We thank you for your engagement throughout the 2026 Regular Session. Please reach out to your SSG team with any questions.