Louisiana 2026 Regular Session Status: Enacted 1 R cosponsors

HB 697 — SUNSET LAW: Re-creates the Department of Environmental Quality

Last action — Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 83.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed House
  4. ✓
    Passed Senate
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 27, 2026. Enacted.

Signed by Governor Jeff Landry (Republican) on May 11, 2026.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 72% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 R).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 2 recorded votes so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

26 added · 47 removed

Plain-language change summary

In the latest version of Bill HB 697, a reference to "ACT No. 83" has been removed. This change likely simplifies the text by eliminating outdated or unnecessary references, making it clearer and more straightforward for everyone to understand. This matters because it helps ensure that the bill focuses on relevant and current information, improving its overall effectiveness.

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HLS 26RS-1137 ENGROSSED Regular Session HOUSE BILL NO.
ENROLLED Regular Session HOUSE BILL NO.
697 BY REPRESENTATIVE GEYMANN SUNSET LAW:
697 BY REPRESENTATIVE GEYMANN AN ACT To enact R.S.
Re-creates the Department of Environmental Quality AN ACT To enact R.S.
Page 1 of 3 CODING:
Section 4.
Wordsinstruckthroughtypearedeletionsfromexistinglaw;wordsunderscored are additions.
HLS 26RS-1137 ENGROSSED HB NO.
697 Section 4.
§191.
Page 1 of 2 CODING:
Wordsinstruckthroughtypearedeletionsfromexistinglaw;wordsunderscored are additions.
HB NO.
697 ENROLLED §191.
table of dates Notwithstanding any termination dates set by any previous Act of the legislature,thestatutoryentitiessetforthinthisSectionshallbegintoterminatetheir operations on July first of each of the following years, and all legislative authority for the existence of any statutoryentity, as defined in R.S.
table of dates Notwithstanding any termination dates set by any previous Act of the legislature,thestatutoryentitiessetforthinthisSectionshallbegintoterminatetheir operations on July first of each of the following years, and all legislative authority for the existence of any statutory entity, as defined in R.S.
DIGEST ThedigestprintedbelowwaspreparedbyHouseLegislative Services.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA APPROVED:
It constitutes nopart of the legislative instrument.
Page 2 of 2 CODING:
The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent.
[R.S.
1:13(B) and 24:177(E)] HB 697 Engrossed 2026 Regular Session Geymann Abstract:
Re-creates the Dept.
of Environmental Quality.
Present law (Sunset) provides that the Dept.
of Environmental Qualityand all the statutory entities made a part of that department by law shall begin to terminate their operations on July1, 2026, and that all legislative authorityfor suchentities shall ceaseasofJuly1, 2027, unless the legislature enacts a bill authorizing the re-creation of the department and its statutory entities prior thereto.
Proposedlawprovidesforthegeneralre-creationoftheDept.ofEnvironmentalQualityand its statutory entities, effective June 30, 2026, in accordance with the "sunset" law.
Page 2 of 3 CODING:
Wordsinstruckthroughtypearedeletionsfromexistinglaw;wordsunderscored are additions.
HLS 26RS-1137 ENGROSSED HB NO.
697 Proposed law supersedes the provisions of the "sunset" law which set out the procedure for review and re-creation and which require a separate bill to re-create each statutory entity within the department along with additional provisions.
Proposed law makes July 1, 2031, the new termination date and termination would begin July 1, 2030, unless the department is re-created again.
Effective June 30, 2026.
(Adds R.S.
49:191(3)(b);
Repeals R.S.
49:191(1)(j)) Page 3 of 3 CODING:
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Action History

  1. Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 83.

  2. Effective date: 06/30/2026.

  3. Sent to the Governor for executive approval.

  4. Signed by the President of the Senate.

  5. Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.

  6. Received from the Senate without amendments.

  7. Read by title, passed by a vote of 36 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  8. Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.

  9. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  10. Rules suspended. Reported favorably.

  11. Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Environmental Quality.

  12. Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 96, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

  13. Received in the Senate. Rules suspended. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.

  14. Scheduled for floor debate on 03/30/2026.

  15. Read by title, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.

  16. Reported favorably (15-0).

  17. Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Environment.

  18. Prefiled.

  19. Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Environment.

  20. First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 146 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (146)

146 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 146 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

FINAL PASSAGE (#460)

Passed 36 Yea · 0 Nay · 3 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 1000
Republican 24003
Democrat 11000
Total 36003
% of votes cast 92%0%0%8%
How each member voted (39)
Member Party Vote
Mr. President — Yea
Edward J. Price Democrat Yea
Gary Carter Democrat Yea
Gerald Boudreaux Democrat Yea
Jay Luneau Democrat Yea
Jimmy Harris Democrat Yea
Katrina R. Jackson-Andrews Democrat Yea
Larry Selders Democrat Yea
Regina Barrow Democrat Yea
Royce Duplessis Democrat Yea
Sam Jenkins Democrat Yea
Sidney Barthelemy II Democrat Yea
Adam Bass Republican Yea
Alan Seabaugh Republican Yea
Beth Mizell Republican Yea
Blake Miguez Republican Not Voting
Bob Hensgens Republican Yea
Brach Jerad Myers Republican Yea
Caleb Kleinpeter Republican Yea
Eddie J. Lambert Republican Yea
Franklin J. Foil Republican Yea
Glen Womack Republican Yea
Gregory A. Miller Republican Yea
Heather Cloud Republican Yea
Jeremy Stine Republican Yea
John C. "Jay" Morris Republican Yea
Jr., William "Bill" Wheat Republican Yea
Kirk Talbot Republican Yea
Mark Abraham Republican Yea
Michael "Big Mike" Fesi Republican Yea
Mike Reese Republican Yea
Patrick Connick Republican Not Voting
Patrick McMath Republican Yea
Rick Edmonds Republican Yea
Robert "Bob" Owen Republican Not Voting
Robert Allain Republican Yea
Stewart Jr. Cathey Republican Yea
Thomas A. Pressly Republican Yea
Valarie Hodges Republican Yea

Official roll call →

FINAL PASSAGE (#178)

Passed 96 Yea · 0 Nay · 9 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 6001
Republican 61007
Democrat 29001
Total 96009
% of votes cast 91%0%0%9%
How each member voted (105)
Member Party Vote
Mr. Speaker — Yea
Galle — Yea
Stagni — Yea
Amedee — Not Voting
Johnson, T. — Yea
Landry, T. — Yea
St. Blanc — Yea
Adrian Fisher Democrat Yea
Aimee Adatto Freeman Democrat Yea
Alonzo L. Knox Democrat Yea
Barbara Carpenter Democrat Not Voting
C. Denise Marcelle Democrat Yea
Candace N. Newell Democrat Yea
Chasity Martinez Democrat Yea
Dana Henry Democrat Yea
Delisha Boyd Democrat Yea
Ed Murray Democrat Yea
Edmond Jordan Democrat Yea
Gerald Boudreaux Democrat Yea
III, Ed Larvadain Democrat Yea
Joy Walters Democrat Yea
Jr., Kyle M. Green Democrat Yea
Ken Brass Democrat Yea
Mandie Landry Democrat Yea
Marcus Anthony Bryant Democrat Yea
Pat Moore Democrat Yea
Rashid Armand Young Democrat Yea
Robby Carter Democrat Yea
Rodney Lyons Democrat Yea
Roy Daryl Adams Democrat Yea
Shaun Raphael Mena Democrat Yea
Sr., Wilford Carter Democrat Yea
Steven Jackson Democrat Yea
Sylvia Elaine Taylor Democrat Yea
Tammy T. Phelps Democrat Yea
Tehmi Jahi Chassion Democrat Yea
Vanessa Caston LaFleur Democrat Yea
Annie Spell Republican Not Voting
Barbara Reich Freiberg Republican Yea
Beth Anne Billings Republican Yea
Brett F. Geymann Republican Yea
Brian Leonard Glorioso Republican Yea
Bryan Fontenot Republican Not Voting
Chad Michael Boyer Republican Yea
Chance Keith Henry Republican Yea
Christopher Turner Republican Yea
Danny McCormick Republican Yea
Daryl Andrew Deshotel Republican Yea
Debbie Villio Republican Yea
Dixon Wallace McMakin Republican Yea
Dodie Horton Republican Yea
Emily Chenevert Republican Yea
Foy Bryan Gadberry Republican Yea
Francis C. Thompson Republican Yea
Gregory A. Miller Republican Not Voting
III, Roger William Wilder Republican Yea
III, Vincent E. Cox Republican Yea
IV, Gerald "Beau" Beaullieu Republican Yea
Jack McFarland Republican Yea
Jacob Braud Republican Yea
Jacob Jules Landry Republican Yea
Jason Brian DeWitt Republican Yea
Jeffrey "Jeff" Fons Wiley Republican Yea
Jeremy LaCombe Republican Yea
Jerome Zeringue Republican Yea
Jessica Domangue Republican Yea
John E. Wyble Republican Yea
Joseph A. Orgeron Republican Yea
Josh Carlson Republican Yea
Jr., Dennis Bamburg Republican Yea
Jr., John R. Illg Republican Yea
Jr., Michael Robert Bayham Republican Yea
Kathy Edmonston Republican Yea
Kellee Hennessy Dickerson Republican Yea
Kim Carver Republican Yea
Kimberly Landry Coates Republican Yea
Larry A. Bagley Republican Yea
Lauren Ventrella Republican Not Voting
Laurie Schlegel Republican Yea
Les Farnum Republican Not Voting
Mark Wright Republican Not Voting
Michael "Gabe" Firment Republican Yea
Michael Charles Echols Republican Yea
Michael Melerine Republican Yea
Mike Johnson Republican Yea
Neil Riser Republican Yea
Nicholas Muscarello Republican Yea
Paul Sawyer Republican Yea
Phillip Eric Tarver Republican Yea
Polly Thomas Republican Yea
R. Dewith Carrier Republican Yea
Raymond J. Crews Republican Yea
Reese "Skip" Broussard Republican Yea
Rhonda Gaye Butler Republican Yea
Robert "Bob" Owen Republican Yea
Rodney Schamerhorn Republican Yea
Ryan Bourriaque Republican Not Voting
Shane Mack Republican Yea
Sr., Peter F. Egan Republican Yea
Stephanie H. Berault Republican Yea
Stephanie Hilferty Republican Yea
Timothy P. Kerner Republican Yea
Tony Bacala Republican Yea
Troy Jude Hebert Republican Yea
Wayne McMahen Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety environment
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors HB 697?
HB 697 is sponsored by Brett F. Geymann (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 697?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 27, 2026. Enacted.
Where can I track HB 697?
Track HB 697 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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