Know Your Rights: 2025 Louisiana Laws that Impact Everyday People
Constitutional Amendments Requiring Your Vote
| Bill | Act | Description | Date on the Ballot |
|---|---|---|---|
| SB25 | (Act 218) | Grants the St. George community school system in East Baton Rouge Parish the same authority as parishes to operate a school system. (Estimated fiscal impact: +$2.45M GF EX) | April 18, 2026 |
| HB63 | (Act 219) | Alters judicial retirement rules. | April 18, 2026 |
| HB366 | (Act 221) | Lets parishes exempt or reduce business inventory from property taxes. | April 18, 2026 |
| SB8 | (Act 223) | Reforms State Civil Service Commission appointment process. | April 18, 2026 |
| HB473 | (Act 222) | Dedicates state revenue toward teacher retirement system debt. | April 18, 2026 |
| HB300 | (Act 220) | Raises the income limit to qualify for property tax freezes for seniors and people with disabilities. | November 3, 2026 |
The following new Louisiana laws, passed during the 2025 Legislative Session, affect everyday people and communities across our state. This guide highlights key laws in plain language so you know your rights, protections, and what’s changing.
| Category | Bill | Act | Description | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criminal Justice & Community Safety | SB 9 | (Act 23) | Bans use of drones over military facilities. | 08/01/2025 |
| Criminal Justice & Community Safety | SB 22 | (Act 26) | Creates the crime of theft of critical infrastructure. | 08/01/2025 |
| Criminal Justice & Community Safety | SB 38 | (Act 28) | Criminalizes the theft of gift cards. | 08/01/2025 |
| Criminal Justice & Community Safety | HB 214 | (Act 72) | Makes it easier for probation to be revoked, which may increase incarceration risks. | 08/01/2025 |
| Criminal Justice & Community Safety | HB 292 | (Act 76) | Changes how jury polling works during court cases. | 08/01/2025 |
| Criminal Justice & Community Safety | SB 58 | (Act 97) | Creates the crime of child grooming. | 08/01/2025 |
| Criminal Justice & Community Safety | HB 100 | (Act 140) | Prohibits bail bond agents from using cellphone tracking to locate people. | 08/01/2025 |
| Criminal Justice & Community Safety | HB 5 | (Act 230) | Increases penalties for certain sex offenses. | |
| Criminal Justice & Community Safety | HB 6 | (Act 231) | Creates the crime of misappropriation of funds connected to utility services. | 08/01/2025 |
| Criminal Justice & Community Safety | HB 12 | (Act 233) | Adds regulations to the sale of consumable hemp products. | 08/01/2025 |
| Criminal Justice & Community Safety | HB 234 | (Act 255) | Expands the definition of criminal blight of property. | 08/01/2025 |
| Criminal Justice & Community Safety | HB 457 | (Act 278) | Allows educational and religious materials in solitary confinement in prisons. | 08/01/2025 |
| Criminal Justice & Community Safety | HB 445 | (Act 364) | Provides relative to juvenile records. | 08/01/2025 |
| Criminal Justice & Community Safety | SB 15 | (Act 399) | Criminalizes interference with federal immigration enforcement. | 08/01/2025 |
| Criminal Justice & Community Safety | HB 74 | (Act 225) | Lets domestic abuse survivors cancel vehicle tracking services. | 08/01/2025 |
| Criminal Justice & Community Safety | SB 95 | (Act 416) | Requires electronic monitoring of certain offenders. | 08/01/2025 |
| Criminal Justice & Community Safety | SB 101 | (Act 420) | Revises the law on illegal carrying of weapons. | 08/01/2025 |
| Criminal Justice & Community Safety | SB 128 | (Act 426) | Requires written reports when law enforcement officers use force. | 08/01/2025 |
| Criminal Justice & Community Safety | HB 384 | (Act 497) | Reforms school discipline for marijuana possession, shifting toward fairer treatment. | 08/01/2025 |
| Criminal Justice & Community Safety | HB 580 | (Act 509) | Increases penalties for fictitious plates and updates temporary plate regulations. | 07/01/2025 |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | HB 115 | (Act 60) | Updates policies for plasma donations. | 08/01/2025 |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | HB 118 | (Act 61) | Modifies emergency certificate use in St. Tammany Parish. | 08/01/2025 |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | HB 382 | (Act 190) | Requires health insurance to cover home visit services for new parents and young children. | 08/01/2025 |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | HB 454 | (Act 228) | Requires Medicaid to cover doula services. | 08/01/2025 |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | HB 595 | (Act 294) | Expands Medicaid eligibility through the TEFRA option program. | 08/01/2025 |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | HB 357 | (Act 227) | Requires health insurance coverage for integrative cancer care. | 01/01/26 |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | HB 514 | (Act 287) | Creates a Louisiana Doula Registry Board under the Department of Health. | 08/01/2025 |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | HB 525 | (Act 205) | Establishes a Uterine Fibroids Commission. | 08/01/2025 |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | HB 408 | (Act 360) | Requires insurance coverage for pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome. | 08/01/2025 |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | HB 467 | (Act 367) | Requires insurance coverage for amino acid-based formulas. | |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | HB 622 | (Act 388) | Requires health insurance coverage for histotripsy procedures. | 08/01/2025 |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | SB 26 | (Act 402) | Requires improved public diabetes information. | 08/01/2025 |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | SB 42 | (Act 410) | Expands perinatal behavioral health treatment. | 08/01/2025 |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | SB 96 | (Act 417) | Increases Medicaid reimbursement for behavioral health. | 07/01/2025 |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | SB 120 | (Act 421) | Clarifies use of emergency certificates for mental health admissions. | 08/01/2025 |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | SB 153 | (Act 431) | Reforms behavioral health rehabilitation services in Medicaid. | 06/20/2025 |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | SB 174 | (Act 437) | Requires pregnancy screenings for syphilis and other conditions. | 06/20/2025 |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | SB 182 | (Act 440) | Ensures Medicaid access is maintained during declared emergencies. | 08/01/2025 |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | HB 486 | (Act 504) | Requires schools to offer mental health assessments to students. | 08/01/2025 |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | HB 541 | (Act 507) | Creates a caregiver registry under the Department of Health. | 08/01/2025 |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | HB 657 | (Act 513) | Increases fees related to therapeutic marijuana. | 08/01/2025 |
| Health Care & Reproductive Health | HB 661 | (Act 514) | Updates fees collected by the Louisiana Department of Health. | 08/01/2025 |
| Voting Rights, Elections, & Government Transparency | SB 90 | (Act 4) | Prohibits betting or wagering on elections. | 08/01/2025 |
| Voting Rights, Elections, & Government Transparency | SB 80 | (Act 37) | Regulates exit polling practices. | 08/01/2025 |
| Voting Rights, Elections, & Government Transparency | HB 281 | (Act 75) | Bans wearing campaign clothing or displaying campaign items at polling places during early voting and election day. | 08/01/2025 |
| Voting Rights, Elections, & Government Transparency | HB 216 | (Act 162) | Requires the state Ethics Board to livestream and record its public meetings. | 01/01/2026 |
| Voting Rights, Elections, & Government Transparency | HB 577 | (Act 208) | Authorizes procurement of new voting systems. | 06/08/2025 |
| Voting Rights, Elections, & Government Transparency | HB 625 | (Act 212) | Sets April 18, 2026, as a special election date for proposed constitutional amendments. | |
| Voting Rights, Elections, & Government Transparency | HB 648 | (Act 213) | Raises candidate qualifying fees and dedicates funds to campaign sign recycling. | |
| Voting Rights, Elections, & Government Transparency | HB 554 | (Act 292) | Establishes new voting-related identification restrictions for non-citizens with driver’s licenses. | 08/01/2025 |
| Voting Rights, Elections, & Government Transparency | HB 592 | (Act 386) | Makes revisions to the Louisiana Election Code. | |
| Voting Rights, Elections, & Government Transparency | HB 405 | (Act 499) | Requires the Secretary of State to publish election law changes. | 06/30/2025 |
| Economic Justice & Workers Rights | HB 148 | (Act 11) | Requires insurers to clearly show last year’s premium when renewing policies, helping consumers see rate increases. | 08/01/2025 |
| Economic Justice & Workers Rights | HB 549 | (Act 19) | Offers car insurance discounts for businesses that use dash cams and telematics. | 01/01/2026 |
| Economic Justice & Workers Rights | HB 153 | (Act 151) | Increases job search requirements for people receiving unemployment benefits. | 12/31/2025 |
| Economic Justice & Workers Rights | HB 345 | (Act 182) | Requires longer notice before insurers can cancel a homeowner’s insurance policy. | 07/01/2026 |
| Youth, Education, & Schools | SB 160 | (Act 42) | Allows rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft to transport students to and from school events. | 06/04/2025 |
| Youth, Education, & Schools | HB 52 | (Act 48) | Requires financial literacy instruction in high schools. | 08/01/2025 |
| Youth, Education, & Schools | HB 71 | (Act 51) | Revises membership of the Dual Enrollment Task Force. | 08/01/2025 |
| Youth, Education, & Schools | HB 584 | (Act 209) | Creates a new alternative program for young people involved in the criminal system, focused on rehabilitation– Back on Track Youth Pilot Program. | 08/01/2025 |
| Youth, Education, & Schools | HB 372 | (Act 268) | Requires computer science for high school graduation. | 08/01/2025 |
| Youth, Education, & Schools | SB 25 | (Act 218) | Allows the St. George community in East Baton Rouge to form its own school system. | |
| Youth, Education, & Schools | HB 391 | (Act 270) | Revises the student growth component in teacher evaluations. | 08/01/2025 |
| Youth, Education, & Schools | HB 321 | (Act 353) | Adds professional development in numeracy for teachers. | 08/01/2025 |
| Youth, Education, & Schools | HB 327 | (Act 356) | Requires use of a 10-point grading scale for TOPS GPA calculations. | 06/20/2025 |
| Youth, Education, & Schools | HB 378 | (Act 359) | Lowers ACT requirement for home study students qualifying for TOPS. | 08/01/2025 |
| Youth, Education, & Schools | HB 77 | (Act 347) | Adds new TOPS Excellence award and recognizes Classic Learning Test. | |
| Youth, Education, & Schools | SB 207 | (Act 449) | Requires public high schools to offer vocational and technical courses. | 08/01/2025 |
| Youth, Education, & Schools | SB 121 | (Act 469) | Authorizes mental health screenings in schools. | 08/01/2025 |
| Youth, Education, & Schools | SB 178 | (Act 439) | Establishes a School Employee Bill of Rights. | 06/20/2025 |
| Immigrant & Refugee Rights | HB 436 | (Act 17) | Prevents undocumented immigrants from receiving damages in civil court in some cases. | 08/01/2025 |
| Immigrant & Refugee Rights | SB 100 | (Act 419) | Requires government agencies to collect and report legal status of people receiving public services. | 06/20/2025 |
| Immigrant & Refugee Rights | HB 303 | (Act 264) | Creates a new unit–Fugitive Apprehension Unit– under the Attorney General to assist with immigration enforcement. | 08/01/2025 |
| Economic & Housing Justice | SB 232 | (Act 44) | Updates the Motion Picture Tax Credit. | 06/04/2025 |
| Economic & Housing Justice | HB 266 | (Act 259) | Raises the monthly personal needs allowance for nursing home residents. | 06/11/2025 |
| Economic & Housing Justice | HB 325 | (Act 266) | Reduces cigar taxes, creating a $10 million revenue loss. | 01/01/2026 |
| Economic & Housing Justice | HB 682 | (Act 229) | Simplifies expungement of certain adjudication records. | 08/01/2025 |
| Economic & Housing Justice | HB 318 | (Act 265) | Addresses flood-prone manufactured housing regulations. | 08/01/2025 |
| Economic & Housing Justice | HB 267 | (Act 260) | Creates the Hotel Francis District in St. Francisville. | 06/11/2025 |
| Economic & Housing Justice | HB 126 | (Act 348) | Increases state support for parish councils on aging. | |
| Economic & Housing Justice | HB 238 | (Act 349) | Expands tax benefits for foster care adoptions and donations. | 06/20/2025 |
| Economic & Housing Justice | HB 533 | (Act 376) | Creates a Work-Based Learning Tax Credit for hiring apprentices and youth. | 01/01/2026 |
| Economic & Housing Justice | SB 123 | (Act 423) | Offers income tax credit for donations to certain public schools. | 01/01/2026 |
| Economic & Housing Justice | SB 186 | (Act 441) | Modifies the New Markets Tax Credit. | 06/20/2025 |
| Economic & Housing Justice | SB 189 | (Act 443) | Creates the State Land Banking Authority to address blighted properties. | 08/01/2025 |
| Economic & Housing Justice | HB 665 | (Act 515) | Extends the Angel Investor Tax Credit Program. | |
| Economic & Housing Justice | HB 520 | (Act 506) | Creates a tax exemption for antique vehicles. | 07/01/2025 |
| Civil Rights, Privacy & Technology | HB 125 | (Act 244) | Protects access and storage of genomic information. | |
| Civil Rights, Privacy & Technology | HB 37 | (Act 236) | Establishes a duty of care for online platforms contracting with minors. | 06/01/2026 |
| Civil Rights, Privacy & Technology | HB 502 | (Act 371) | Reforms compensation and accountability for registrars of voters. | 06/20/2025 |
| Civil Rights, Privacy & Technology | HB 693 | (Act 398) | Revises the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act. | |
| Civil Rights, Privacy & Technology | HB 686 | (Act 394) | Requires lobbyist disclosure of ties to foreign adversaries. | 12/01/2025 |
| Civil Rights, Privacy & Technology | SB 245 | (Act 467) | Creates a database to track state funding of nongovernmental entities. | 06/30/2025 |
| Transportation, Environment & Infrastructure | SB 127 | (Act 111) | Allows nuclear power plant permitting to move forward more easily in Louisiana. | 08/01/2025 |
| Transportation, Environment & Infrastructure | HB497 | (Act 201) | Expands the Louisiana Catch and Cook program for fishers and restaurants. | 08/01/2025 |
| Transportation, Environment & Infrastructure | HB510 | (Act 203) | Authorizes golf carts and low-speed vehicles on alternative pathways in Golden Meadow. | 08/01/2025 |
| Transportation, Environment & Infrastructure | HB676 | (Act 216) | Streamlines removal of abandoned vessels in Louisiana waterways. | 08/01/2025 |
| Transportation, Environment & Infrastructure | HB687 | (Act 217) | Allows public-private partnerships for the St. Bernard Transportation Corridor project. | 08/01/2025 |
| Transportation, Environment & Infrastructure | HB652 | (Act 300) | Enhances seafood safety and testing programs. | 06/11/2025 |
| Transportation, Environment & Infrastructure | HB640 | (Act 389) | Establishes the Office of Louisiana Highway Construction. | 06/20/2025 |
| Transportation, Environment & Infrastructure | HB528 | (Act 375) | Reorganizes the Department of Transportation and Development. | 08/01/2025 |
| Transportation, Environment & Infrastructure | HB556 | (Act 380) | Reforms DOTD operations to increase efficiency. | 08/01/2025 |
| Transportation, Environment & Infrastructure | SB36 | (Act 407) | Provide for carbon dioxide sequestration. | 06/20/2025 |
| Transportation, Environment & Infrastructure | SB73 | (Act 414) | Provide for carbon dioxide sequestration. | 08/01/2025 |
| Transportation, Environment & Infrastructure | SB85 | (Act 415) | Allows parishes to designate no-wake zones. | 08/01/2025 |
| Transportation, Environment & Infrastructure | HB692 | (Act 462) | Reclassifies nuclear and natural gas energy as “green energy,” raising concerns over environmental protections. | 08/01/2025 |
| Transportation, Environment & Infrastructure | HB548 | (Act 508) | Dedicates revenue from carbon dioxide sequestration. | 08/01/2025 |
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