Abortion Access
Proactive Legislation
HB164 - Sexual Assault Exception
Sponsor: Representative Delisha Boyd
Content: Proposes exemptions to Louisiana’s abortion laws in cases of rape and incest.
Status: Awaiting consideration by the House Administration of Criminal Justice.
HB63 - Abortion Definition Modification
Sponsor: Representative Candace Newell
Content: Proposes modifications to existing definitions related to the crime of abortion. It clarifies that surgical or treatment methods for ectopic pregnancies are not considered abortions. The bill also expands the medical conditions that would be exempt under the definition of abortion, including cancer and blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia and 13 hemophilia.
Status: Introduced on February 9, 2024.
HB56 - Pregnancy Complications
Sponsor: Representative Candace Newell
Content: This bill replaces vague and confusing language in Louisiana’s abortion bans related to miscarriage management ensuring that patients experiencing a miscarriage or other serious pregnancy complication can access timely and appropriate health care.
Sponsor: Representative Aimee Adatto Freeman
Content: The Amendment would amend Article I, Section 20.1 of the Constitution of Louisiana and replace it with an amendment that states Every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s own decisions about their reproductive healthcare
HB293 - Prosecuting Abortion
Sponsor: Representative Aimee Adatto Freeman
Content: This bill clarifies requirements for prosecution under the criminal abortion bans.
HB630 - Protect Pregnant People from Prosecutions
Sponsor: Representative Mandie Landry
Content: This bill would ensure that no pregnant or postpartum person is criminalized or otherwise punished for a negative pregnancy outcome.
HB199 - Insurance Discrimination
Sponsor: Representative Vanessa LaFleur
Content: Prohibits insurance rate determinations based on risks classified by gender
Defensive Legislation
SB276 - Criminalization of Fraudulent Abortion Through Deception
Sponsor: Senator Thomas Pressly
Content: Creates the crime of coerced criminal abortion by means of fraud to prohibit a third-party from knowingly using an abortion-inducing drug to cause, or attempt to cause, an abortion on an unsuspecting pregnant mother without her knowledge or consent and amends various abortion criminal laws to add the crime of attempted abortion.
Contraception
Reproductive Freedom
Proactive Legislation
Sponsors: Senator Royce Duplessis and Representative Delisha Boyd
Content: Provides for the right to contraceptives, emergency contraceptives, and contraceptive related information.
Prohibits any law or regulation of the state from impeding access to contraceptives, emergency contraceptives, or information related to contraceptives.
Authorize the attorney general to enforce the provisions of proposed law.
Authorizes any person, entity, or health care provider to file a petition for injunctive relief against any person who violates the provisions of proposed law.
Defensive Legislation
HB256 - Parental Involvement in Healthcare
Sponsor: Representative Dodie Horton
Content: This parental rights bill could be used to block young people from accessing birth control and other reproductive healthcare services without parental involvement.
Maternal Health
Proactive Legislation
HB489 - Medicaid/Medicare reimbursement rates maternal and infant care
Sponsor: Representative Jason Hughes
Content: This bill would increase the reimbursement rate for certain maternal and infant health care services.
SB300 - Medicaid Coverage for Prenatal Nutrition
Sponsor: Senator Royce Duplessis
Content: This bill would include prenatal nutrition and dietician coverage under Medicaid. Currently, these services aren’t covered unless there’s a gestational diabetes diagnosis.
HB702 - Standardize an Equitable Standard of Care for Doula Services and Increase
Sponsor: Representative Matthew Willard
Content: This bill would create an equitable standard of care for Doula Services and require MCO’s to reimburse for doulas services if a doula has been approved by the Doula Registry Board.
SB135 - Postpartum Coverage
Sponsor: Senator Royce Duplessis
Content: Requires the Louisiana Department of Health to amend the Medicaid state plan to provide for Medicaid services eligibility for all pregnant women with income of up to 185% of the federal poverty level. Requires eligibility for twelve months postpartum Medicaid coverage for all pregnant women covered
Defensive Legislation
SB278 - Anti-Abortion Centers
Sponsor: Senator Katrina Jackson-Andrews
Content: Creates the Louisiana Pregnancy and Baby Care Initiative, replacing the Alternatives to Abortion Program and is funded in a separate line-item of the general appropriations act or with TANF.
Sponsor: Senator Rick Edmonds
Content: Creates adoption awareness program within DCFS finances with TANF funds.
LGBTQ+ Rights
Proactive Legislation
HB98 - Protecting Same Sex Marriages
Sponsor: Representative Mandie Landry
Content: Amend the state constitution to ensure the recognition of marriages contracted in other states. This would protect same sex marriages if Obergefell is overturned.
SB283 - Abolishing Unjust Solicitation Laws
Sponsor: Senator Royce Duplessis
Content: Aims to eliminate legislation regarding solicitation of unnatural acts (CANS), which unfairly impacts Black trans women in New Orleans.
SB150 - Creating Path to Expunge CANS Convictions
Sponsor: Senator Royce Duplessis
Content: Creates a path for those unfairly convicted by CANS to expunge their charges.
Sponsor: Representative Delisha Boyd
Content: Provides relative to employment discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation
Defensive Legislation
HB121 - Ban on Gender Pronouns
Sponsor: Representative Raymond Crews
Content: This bill would ban the use of preferred names and pronouns for students.
HB122 - Don't Say Gay/Queer
Sponsor: Representative Dodie Horton
Content: This bill would ban the discussion of any topics related to LGBTQ+ issues in schools.
HB6HB608 - Transphobic redefinition of sex
Sponsor: Representative Roger Wilder
Content: Allows any government agency to actively discriminate between the sexes with respect to athletics/sports, correctional facilities, juvenile detention facilities, domestic violence shelters or other accommodations. It also requires public schools to designate separate restrooms to be used “by the members of each sex only.”
HIV Decriminalization and Access to Treatment
Proactive Legislation
HB436 - HIV Decriminalization
Sponsor: Representative Aimee Adatto Freeman
Content: Provides relative to intentional exposure to HIV
HB579 - HIV Treatment
Sponsor: Representative Wayne McMahen
Content: Authorizes pharmacists to dispense HIV pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis.
Defensive Legislation
Sponsor: Senator Regina Ashford Barrow
Content: Proposed law provides that a person who commits a sex offense against a victim who is under the age of 13 at the time of the offense, may be sentenced to surgical castration.
HB166 - Forced Sterilization
Sponsor: Representative Delisha Boyd
Content: Proposed law provides that any person who is convicted of a sex offense shall be subject to a vasectomy procedure.
Sexual Violence
Proactive Legislation
SB124 - Creates Sexual Assault Survivor’s Bill of Rights
Sponsor: Senator Beth Mizell
Content: Established a Sexual Assault Survivor’s Bill of Rights with the aim to provide survivors with the support, resources, and justice they deserve.
HB302 - Survivor Counseling Insurance
Sponsor: Representative Delisha Boyd
Content: This bill will require mental health counseling services for survivors of sexual assault to be covered by insurance.
SB254- Pep for Survivors
Sponsor: Senator Beth Mizell
Requires pep to be paid for under the SANE exam coverages for people who report to the hospital after a sexual assault