HOUSE NOTES

Louisiana House of Representatives

Communications Office
2016 Regular Legislative Session
Week One, March 17, 2016

The 2016 Regular Legislative Session

is well under way. House committees began
hearings this week with full agendas; some
heard presentations by state officials and
agency representatives, and others discussed
specifics of proposed legislation.
A brief description of some of the bills
that were heard in committee follows.
BUTTERFLY
*
House Bill 164, pending House floor
action, provides that the Gulf Fritillary
butterfly, also referred to as the passion
butterfly, shall be the official state butterfly.
CHILDREN AND NEWBORNS
*
House Bill 107, pending House final
passage, provides for technical corrections to
the Safe Haven Law.
*
House Bill 237, pending House final
passage, creates an official Safe Haven
symbol to identify emergency care facilities
designated in the Safe Haven Law.
*
House Bill 475, pending House final
passage, renames the Division of Programs
within the Department of Children and Family
Services as the Division of Child Welfare, and
the Division of Operations as the Division of
Family Support.
Additionally, HB475 creates a new
deputy secretary position within the
department.

*
House Bill 482 , pending House final
passage, creates the Foster Care and
Permanence Task Force to make
recommendations to facilitate permanency for
foster children.
*
House Bill 485, pending House final
passage, removes the requirement that the
Department of Children and Family Services
notify an individual in writing prior to
requesting that individual's credit report with
regard to child support payments.
*
House Bill 486, pending House final
passage, provides for administrative hearings
for property or assets frozen by the
Department of Children and Family Services.
*
House Bill 494, pending House final
passage, increases the membership of the
Louisiana State Child Death Review Panel.
ELECTIONS
*
House Bill 275 prohibits a person
convicted of a felony from qualifying for or
holding elective or appointive office. The
proposed constitutional amendment exempts
persons who have been pardoned and for
whom more than 15 years have passed since
their conviction.
*
House Bill 377, pending House final
passage, requires a signed and handwritten
notice of retirement or resignation by a
registrar of voters to be filed with the
Secretary of State.

*
House Bill 529, pending House
Appropriations, increases the compensation
for deputy parish custodians of voting
machines from $75 to $100 per election.

geographic boundaries of the Zachary Taylor

Parkway District and commission.
*
House Bill 786, pending House floor
action, requires municipal governing
authorities to furnish to the registrar of voters
and the Secretary of State, by electronic
medium, copies of municipal annexation
ordinances.
*
House Bill 787, pending House floor
action, changes the boundaries, the imposition
and collection of the parcel fee, the budget
approval process, and provides for
indemnification and exculpation of the
officers and board members of the
Wedgewood Crime Prevention and
Improvement District in East Baton Rouge
Parish.
*
House Bill 796, pending House floor
action, provides for changes in procedure for
the dissolution of municipalities with a
population of less than 2,500 persons.

HOSPITALS
*
House Bill 680, pending House final
passage, requires healthcare services providers
to conduct background checks on non-licensed
prospective employees.
LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL
*
House Bill 85, pending House floor
action, changes the boundaries of the
Broadmoor Crime Prevention and
Improvement District in East Baton Rouge
Parish.
*
House Bill 133, pending House floor
action, removes the employees of the Housing
Authority of the Town of Oil City from civil
service status.
*
House Bill 177, pending House floor
action, authorizes members of the Louisiana
Naval War Memorial Commission to revise
meeting and quorum requirements.
*
House Bill 200, pending House floor
action, provides that employees of a
municipality who are not domiciled there may
be a director of the board of directors of the
Louisiana Energy and Power Authority.
*
House Bill 293, pending House floor
action, increases the per diem paid to
members of the gas utility district located in
parishes with a population of not less than
20,000 persons and not more than 25,000
persons.
*
House Bill 383, pending House floor
action, increases the maximum per diem for
commissioners of waterworks districts in a
parish with a population of not less than
20,000 and not more than 20,500 persons.
*
House Bill 561, pending House floor
action, adds all of Tangipahoa Parish to the

MENTAL HEALTH
*
House Bill 763, pending House final
passage, authorizes and provides that a human
services district may establish a mental health
emergency room extension subject to several
criteria.

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