Week 2 Legislative Update – 2026 Regular Session

March 20, 2026

The 2026 Regular Session moved quickly through its second week, with committee hearings on a wide range of consequential issues spanning child welfare, higher education governance, workforce development, and public health. Below is a summary of the major developments.

March 14 Election Results

Republican Paul Sawyer won the special election for Louisiana House District 69 on Saturday, March 14, avoiding a runoff by capturing 53% of the vote with all 35 precincts reporting. Democrat Angela Roberts finished second with 40%, followed by Republicans Lynn Coxe Graham at 4% and Adam Beach at 3%. Voter turnout was 16%.

Sawyer, a Baton Rouge native, most recently served as chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Garret Graves and previously held senior roles at Louisiana Economic Development. The seat had been vacant since Rep. Paula Davis resigned in January. Sawyer will join the House as the session continues, bringing a background in federal infrastructure work and economic development to a chamber already focused on several of his stated priorities, including infrastructure, insurance, and public safety.

Two additional legislative seats were filled as New Orleans voters decided a pair of special runoff elections that carried over from a February primary. Sidney Barthelemy II won Senate District 3 with 64% of the vote over attorney Kenn Barnes, and Dana Henry captured House District 100 with 53% over attorney Kenya Rounds. Turnout was approximately 11% and 14% in the respective races.

Barthelemy will fill the seat vacated by former Sen. Joseph Bouie, who became chancellor of Southern University. His district covers Gentilly, New Orleans East, downriver neighborhoods, and portions of St. Bernard Parish. Henry will succeed former Rep. Jason Hughes, who joined the New Orleans City Council earlier this year. District 100 covers New Orleans East.

LA GATOR Funding Debate Intensifies in Senate Committee

The Louisiana Department of Education's proposed budget for fiscal year 2026-27 came before the Senate Finance Committee this week, with the centerpiece being an $87 million request for the LA GATOR school choice program – nearly double the current year's funding level. The program provides state-funded scholarship accounts that eligible families can use for private school tuition and related educational expenses. State Superintendent Cade Brumley argued for the expansion, citing a strong relationship with the federal Department of Education and describing Louisiana as a national model for school choice policy.

The proposal did not go unchallenged. Sen. Katrina Jackson-Andrews (D-Monroe) raised substantive equity concerns, pointing out that the state currently spends approximately $5,500 per student in the public school system while LA GATOR averages more than $7,000 per participant. She questioned whether that disparity had been fully considered by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education when the budget was developed. Brumley acknowledged the figures but argued that the budget is not structured around a strict per-pupil formula.

The funding debate reflects a broader tension that has defined education policy discussions this session. Governor Landry continues to press for the expansion as a signature priority, while Senate President Cameron Henry has repeatedly questioned whether the program produces measurable outcomes that justify its growing cost. Lawmakers on the Senate Finance Committee will ultimately determine how much, if any, of the requested increase is approved.

DCFS Budget Hearing Surfaces Foster Care Failures; Abolition Bill Advances

The pressure on Louisiana's Department of Children and Family Services intensified this week as Secretary Rebecca Harris presented the agency's proposed $792 million budget to the House Appropriations Committee while also facing calls from a growing number of legislators to restructure or eliminate the department altogether.

During the budget presentation, lawmakers pressed Harris on conditions in Louisiana's foster care system. According to agency figures, approximately 7,000 children move through foster care each year, with 300 currently awaiting adoption. More than 100 children have been returned to state custody after adoption placements failed. Rep. Alonzo Knox called the accounts he has heard about the foster system "horrendous and sickening." Harris acknowledged that the agency has historically provided insufficient post-permanency support to families after reunification or adoption and committed to improving those services going forward.

Lawmakers also questioned whether children in the foster care system feel safe enough to report abuse, noting that despite the agency's rollout of a Youth Bill of Rights and a child abuse reporting hotline that receives approximately 50,000 calls annually, the department had previously admitted to not tracking key outcome metrics – including how many hotline calls lead to removals, how frequently courts deviate from DCFS recommendations, and how many children are returned to a parent after a parental abuse conviction. The agency has committed to tracking those metrics going forward. Concerns were also raised about the state's capacity to serve youth who are victims of human trafficking, with approximately 800 young people currently being served by only two organizations.

The budget hearing took place as Sen. Regina Barrow's Senate Bill 265, which would abolish DCFS entirely, advanced through committee proceedings. Barrow's legislation would transfer child welfare functions to the Louisiana Department of Health and child support functions to the Louisiana Works Department. The bill stems from the work of a Child Abuse Task Force that Barrow has chaired since September 2025, which has documented a pattern of systemic failures at the agency, including broken communication between regional offices, barriers to substantiating abuse claims, excessive caseworker caseloads well above the national average, and a lack of centralized data systems. Senator Barrow's proposal also includes a $9.7 million initiative to digitize 95 million pages of child welfare records. Senators at the hearing pointed to 12 child deaths so far in 2026 as evidence that the status quo is unsustainable. The bill faces long odds of passage in its current form but continues to serve as a vehicle for sustained legislative pressure on the agency.

Workforce Development Bills Move Through Committees

Several workforce-focused bills were heard in committees this week, responding to what policy advocates describe as a serious structural mismatch in Louisiana's labor market. According to the policy group Leaders for a Better Louisiana, the state's labor force participation rate hovers around 58% – among the lowest in the nation – leaving more than 40% of working-age Louisianans on the sidelines. That dynamic has produced roughly 128,000 open jobs statewide against approximately 88,000 active job seekers, a gap that is expected to widen significantly as nearly $100 billion in announced industrial and economic development projects move forward.

Four key bills scheduled for committee this week reflect different dimensions of the workforce challenge:

• HB 951 (Rep. Dennis Bamburg Jr.) – Would create the Louisiana Talent Accelerator, a new office designed to support existing businesses by identifying workforce needs and developing customized training solutions. The proposal is intended to complement the state's FastStart program, which primarily serves new and relocating companies rather than established employers. Heard Thursday before the House Labor and Industrial Relations Committee.
• SB 383 (Sen. J. Adams Bass) – Would modernize Louisiana's incumbent worker training program, which currently distributes roughly $20 million annually to help upgrade the skills of existing employees. The bill would expand flexibility in how those funds can be used, with a focus on sectors facing significant worker shortages. Reported with amendments Wednesday from the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee.
• HB 268 (Rep. Kim Carver) – Would strengthen existing middle school career exploration requirements by adding structure, accountability measures, and clearer implementation standards. Reported with amendments Wednesday from the House Education Committee.
• HB 807 (Rep. Ken Brass) – Would establish the Workforce Instructor Capacity Investment Program to address shortages of qualified instructors at community and technical colleges, particularly in high-wage, high-demand fields, by making teaching roles more competitive with private sector compensation. Reported with amendments Wednesday from the House Education Committee.

The bills align with Gov. Landry's broader workforce development agenda, including his call to consolidate federal workforce training dollars under a single statewide board rather than the current system of 15 regional boards. The governor has also highlighted what he sees as a significant imbalance in state investment, noting that Louisiana spends approximately $300 million annually supporting four-year degree programs through TOPS while investing only $6 million in vocational and technical education.

Fluoride Bill Amended to Allow Local Votes Rather Than Statewide Ban

A bill that originally sought to ban fluoride from all Louisiana public water supplies was substantially amended this week after pushback from legislators who did not want to impose a statewide change on communities that choose to fluoridate their water. The amended version of the bill, sponsored by Sen. Mike Fesi (R-Houma), would instead create a process for local elections on fluoride – either to add it or remove it. Under the revised language, any locality wishing to remove fluoride from its water supply would need to gather petition signatures from at least 15% of affected voters to trigger a ballot question. Communities that currently have fluoride and do not take action would be unaffected by the law.

Senator Fesi presented his original proposal to the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, characterizing fluoride as a hazardous waste and citing research alleging links to lower childhood IQs and other health effects. Those claims have been broadly criticized by dental and public health organizations, which note that fluoride is added to public water at just 0.7 parts per million and that decades of public health research support its dental benefits. The Louisiana Dental Association opposed the legislation, pointing out that fewer than 40% of Louisiana residents currently live in water districts that fluoridate their water and that those communities have demonstrated improved long-term dental health outcomes.

Sen. Gerald Boudreaux (D-Lafayette) offered the amendment to prevent communities that want fluoride from being forced to mount a campaign to restore it under a statewide prohibition. Senator Fesi accepted the change, and the amended bill advanced to the full Senate. 

Energy & AI Bills

Most key energy bills still await a hearing in their respective committees. Over 30 bills related to CCS have been filed, and there will likely be more on the way.

HB 621 from Rep. Kim Coates requires recycling of decommissioned renewable energy infrastructure, while HB 637 from Rep. Jacob Landry establishes reduced rates for oilfield site restoration fees. Rep. Geymann’s HB 804 creates the “Louisiana Energy Protection Act” and establishes procedures and limitation of a liability for claims brought for damages related to climate change for emissions of greenhouse gases. HB 419 from Rep. Gabe Firment follows a similar vein.

In the CCS arena, Sen. Bill Wheat 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’s HB 327, which declares that “carbon dioxide sequestration is illegal without a property owner’s consent.” Rep. Robby Carter 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, and HB 507 repeals liability limits related to carbon dioxide sequestration and transmission. Further legislation which provides for compensation for pore space owners (HB 499) has also been filed. Rep. Rodney Schamerhorn has added a bill that prohibits the importation of captured carbon dioxide into Louisiana for sequestration.

In a similar vein, Rep. Chuck Owen’s HB 566 prohibits use of state funds in support of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions policies. Most CCS-related bills will be debated on specific days to come during the Session.

Notable AI bills

A few bills on artificial intelligence include HB 119, which addresses the unlawful possession, dissemination, or sale of images of another created by artificial intelligence under certain circumstances. This bill is awaiting House floor action. HB 157 establishes a cause of action for misuse of artificial intelligence. Rep. Kyle Green’s HB 295 is a public safety bill that prohibits the development of artificial intelligence systems with certain capabilities involving interactions with minors. Rep. Edmond Jordan’s HB 880 creates the Louisiana Artificial Intelligence Insurance Fairness Act, while Rep. Josh Carlson’s HB 734 creates a consumer bill of rights regarding artificial intelligence.

On the Senate side, Sen. Hensgens has SB 5, which provides for the regulation of mental health chatbots that use artificial intelligence technology. Sen. Edmonds’ SB 42 prohibits using artificial intelligence to create child sexual abuse materials. This bill is scheduled for Senate final passage on Monday.

In all, over 20 bills in both the House and the Senate aim to regulate artificial intelligence to provide greater public safety laws in general and provide ethics restraints in multiple industries.

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 197 establishes authorized uses, prohibited uses, and penalties for the unauthorized use of artificial intelligence by healthcare providers. Since the Session is still at the early stages, most of these bills await hearings in their respective committees.

Rep. Firment’s HB 234 re-creates the Department of Insurance for four years, changing the termination date from July 1, 2027 to July 1, 2031. It awaits House floor action. HB 736 from Rep. Green provides for the transparency of setting rates. Rep. Edmond Jordan’s HB 794 creates the Louisiana First-Generation Homebuyer Assistance Act.

On the Senate side, SB 100 from Sen. Sam Jenkins provides for proof of insurance of transportation network companies involved in an accident—it is pending Senate floor action. Sen. Jay Luneau’s SB 246 establishes requirements for insurers using artificial intelligence, and it is scheduled for a final vote on Monday.

Other Key Education Bills

As the ’26 Session rolls ahead, several more key education bills will be debated in the coming weeks. School choice and parental rights have featured prominently in the bills up for consideration. Rep. Michael Melerine’s HB 186 creates the crime of theft of funds from the LA GATOR Scholarship Program. HB 485 is a proposed constitutional amendment that “adds the fundamental right of parents to decide the nurturing, education, care, custody, and control of their children.”

A couple key bills on teacher pay and workforce include Rep. Mike Echols’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.”

In the arena of school operations and accountability, SB 27 by Sen. Patrick McMath expands tutoring access for students in elementary and middle school. Sen. Beth Mizell’s SB 82 requires five-day public school weeks for grades one through 12. Additionally, Rep. Mike Johnson has brought HB 578, the Restoring Biological Truth Act. In an alignment with federal efforts, Rep. Kim Carver has authored a resolution (HCR 14) which expresses support for eliminating the U.S. Department of Education.

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