Regular legislative session through Apr. 28, 2024

HB 306 was substituted for by HB 976. HB 680 also was passed as a substitute, but almost unrecognizably and without its salutary content, and so is removed from the list of good bills. The same applies to HB 959.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 138 with minor amendment passed Senate committee; HB 407 passed Senate committee; HB 515 passed Senate committee; HB 571 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 572 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 611 with minor amendment passed the Senate; HB 723 with minor amendment passed Senate committee; HB 783 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 800 with major amendment passed House committee; HB 813 passed the House; HB 908 passed House committee; HB 952 with major amendment passed the House; HB 956 with minor amendment passed House committee; SB 13 with minor amendment passed Senate committee; SB 195 with minor amendment passed the Senate; SB 295 passed the House; SB 316 passed House committee; SB 323 passed the House; SB 350 with minor amendment passed the Senate; SB 355 with major amendment passed the Senate; SB 357 passed Senate committee; SB 436 passed the Senate; SB 446 passed the Senate; SB 449 passed Senate committee.

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 707 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 743 was rejected by the House; SB 255 passed the House; SB 327 passed the Senate; SB 430 passed the Senate.

Regular legislative session through Apr. 21, 2024

HB 174 was removed from the list of good bills as it has become so watered down that it hardly is distinguishable from current federal law which itself through regulatory changes will become extremely watered down from its present status. The same applies to HB 794, which basically doesn’t change the ability of a local government to make architectural and engineering contracts no bid and delivered to insiders.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 121 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 122 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 162 passed Senate committee; HB 303 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 596 passed House committee; HB 611 with minor amendment passed Senate committee; HB 813 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 906 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 933 with minor amendment passed House committee and with minor amendment passed the House; HB 952 with minor amendment passed House committee; SB 60 with minor amendment passed the Senate; SB 194 passed House committee; SB 214 with minor amendment passed House committee; SB 262 passed the Senate; SB 276 passed House committee; SB 295 passed House committee; SB 323 passed House committee; SB 370 with minor amendment passed House committee; SB 377 with minor amendment passed House committee; SB 420 passed Senate committee; SB 436 passed Senate committee; SB 446 passed Senate committee; SB 466 passed the Senate; SB 503 with minor amendment passed House committee.

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 743 passed House committee; SB 327 passed Senate committee; SB 430 with minor amendment passed Senate committee.

Regular legislative session through Apr. 14, 2024

HB 31 and HB 768 were amended into benign form, and thus were removed from the bad bills list.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 99 passed the House; HB 103 passed the House; HB 114 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 121 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 122 passed House committee; SB 138 passed the House; HB 174 with major amendment passed House committee; HB 188 passed the House; HB 383 passed the House; HB 452 passed House committee; HB 515 passed the House; HB 608 with minor amendment passed House committee and with minor amendment passed the House; HB 644 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 723 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 737 passed the House; HB 745 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 794 passed House committee; HB 906 passed House committee; SB 181 with major amendment passed the Senate; SB 194 with minor amendment passed the Senate; SB 262 passed Senate committee; SB 276 passed Senate committee; SB 316 with minor amendment passed the Senate; SB 388 with minor amendment passed the Senate; SB 448 passed Senate committee; SB 466 passed Senate committee; SB 503 with minor amendment passed the Senate.

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 95 passed the House; HB 165 passed the House; HB 391 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 562 passed the House; HB 740 passed the House.

Regular legislative session through Apr. 7, 2024

Bill filing ceased this week, so with an avalanche of last-minute entries there are quite a few more to add to the lists. Also, HB 416 was removed as a bad bill after amendment into a benign form.

THE GOOD: HB 813 by Rep. Kathy Edmonston would increase the ability of doctors to prescribe medicine; HB 822 by Rep. Peter Egan gives recipients of donated blood more control over the process; HB 850 by Rep. Mike Johnson would aid owners in the removal of squatters (similar bills: HB 895, SB 448, SB 466, SB 470); HB 893 by Rep. Rodney Schamerhorn would mandate buffer zones around solar farms; HB 894 by Rep. Edmond Jordan would protect ammunition manufacturers from liability; HB 902 by Rep. Michael Melerine would protect government employee pension funds (similar bill: HB 909); HB 906 by Rep. Mark Wright would update campaign finance laws; HB 907 by Rep. Larry Bagley would bring some rationality to state museum governance; HB 908 by Rep. Beryl Amedee would prohibit discrimination in education based upon vaccination status; HB 919 by Rep. Emily Chevernet would prohibit organizations that use public resources to collect dues from using dues for political activity; HB 933 by Rep. Mike Bayham gets rid of licensing people who sell flowers; HB 935 by Rep. Zee Zeringue would remove the option of commercial vehicles that require inspection under federal law to do so under state law; HB 946 by Rep. Jay Galle would clarify removal of library board of control members; HB  952 by Rep. Dustin Miller closes the hemp use loophole; HB 956 by Rep. Raymond Crews strengthens employee protections in collective bargaining; HB 959 by Rep. Daryl Deshotel gets ride of much occupational licensing; SB 436 by Sen. Mike Fesi would clarify that noncitizens cannot register to vote (similar bill: SB 449); SB 446 by Sen. Mark Abraham would reduce toll burdens over the Calcasieu River; SB 486 by Sen. Alan Seabaugh would prohibit preferential or discriminatory treatment of persons by race, color, ethnicity, national origin, or sex on college campuses.

THE BAD: HB 931 by Rep. Tehmi Chaisson would weaken educational standards (similar bill: HB 945); SB 426 by Sen. Sam Jenkins would create unneeded extra costs for local education agencies; SB 430 by Sen. Katrina Jackson-Andrews would limit capital punishment options; SB 479 by Sen. Royce Duplessis would create needless and duplicative bureaucracy.