Louisiana 2026 Regular Session Status: Passed Senate 1 R cosponsors

SB 97 — CRIMINAL PROCEDURE: Constitutional amendment to require the prosecutor's consent for a defendant to waive his right to a trial by jury. (2/3 - CA13s1(A))

Last action — Called from the calendar.

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

This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced February 20, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.

Next likely step: consideration and a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Advancing 48% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Moderate

How often bills like it became law.

  • Passed Senate

    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 1 recorded vote 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.

In plain language

The bill requires a prosecutor's consent for a defendant to waive their right to a jury trial.

This legislation proposes a constitutional amendment that mandates prosecutors to agree before a defendant can give up their jury trial rights. This change aims to potentially reshape the legal process for defendants.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

4 added · 4 removed

Plain-language change summary

The latest version of Bill SB 97 has replaced the original draft with an updated version, identified as the "engrossed" version. This change typically means that the bill has undergone revisions or clarifications based on feedback or further considerations since the original proposal. The shift from the original to the engrossed version is important because it could reflect new priorities or adjustments aimed at improving the legislation's effectiveness or addressing concerns raised during discussions.

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Latest
SLS 26RS-419 ORIGINAL Regular Session SENATE BILL NO.
SLS 26RS-419 ENGROSSED Regular Session SENATE BILL NO.
SLS 26RS-419 ORIGINAL SB NO.
SLS 26RS-419 ENGROSSED SB NO.
1:13(B) and 24:177(E)] DIGEST SB 97 Original 2026 Regular Session Morris Present constitution allows a defendant in a noncapital felony criminal case to knowingly, intelligently, and irrevocablywaive his right to a trial by jury no later than 45 days prior to the trial date.
1:13(B) and 24:177(E)] DIGEST SB 97 Engrossed 2026 Regular Session Morris Present constitution allows a defendant in a noncapital felony criminal case to knowingly, intelligently, and irrevocablywaive his right to a trial by jury no later than 45 days prior to the trial date.
Specifies submission of the amendment to the voters at the statewide election to be held on Page 2 of 3 Coding:
Page 2 of 3 Coding:
SLS 26RS-419 ORIGINAL SB NO.
SLS 26RS-419 ENGROSSED SB NO.
97 April 17, 2027, as authorized by law.
97 Specifies submission of the amendment to the voters at the statewide election to be held on April 17, 2027, as authorized by law.
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Amendments

2 amendments

Click Show changes on an amendment above to see how it modifies the bill.

Action History

  1. Called from the calendar.

  2. Read by title, returned to the calendar.

  3. Called from the calendar.

  4. Read by title, returned to the calendar.

  5. Notice given.

  6. Scheduled for floor debate on 05/26/2026.

  7. Called from the calendar.

  8. Read by title, returned to the calendar.

  9. Notice given.

  10. Scheduled for floor debate on 05/20/2026.

  11. Scheduled for floor debate on 05/18/2026.

  12. Read by title, returned to the calendar.

  13. Notice given.

  14. Scheduled for floor debate on 05/19/2026.

  15. Read by title, amended, passed to 3rd reading.

  16. Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments.

  17. Reported with amendments (5-1). Referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  18. Read by title, recommitted to the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.

  19. Reported favorably (7-3). To be recommitted to the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.

  20. Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.

  21. Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 26 yeas and 11 nays, and sent to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  22. Received in the House from the Senate, read by title, lies over under the rules.

  23. Read by title. Ordered engrossed and passed to third reading and final passage.

  24. Reported favorably.

  25. Introduced in the Senate; read by title. Rules suspended. Read second time and referred to the Committee on Judiciary C.

  26. Prefiled and under the rules provisionally referred to the Committee on Judiciary C.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 146 not signed on · 11 voted No

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 (#135)

Passed 26 Yea · 11 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 1000
Republican 25101
Democrat 01001
Total 261102
% of votes cast 67%28%0%5%
How each member voted (39)
Member Party Vote
Mr. President — Yea
Edward J. Price Democrat Nay
Gary Carter Democrat Nay
Gerald Boudreaux Democrat Nay
Jay Luneau Democrat Nay
Jimmy Harris Democrat Nay
Katrina R. Jackson-Andrews Democrat Nay
Larry Selders Democrat Nay
Regina Barrow Democrat Nay
Royce Duplessis Democrat Nay
Sam Jenkins Democrat Not Voting
Sidney Barthelemy II Democrat Nay
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 Yea
Patrick McMath Republican Yea
Rick Edmonds Republican Yea
Robert "Bob" Owen Republican Yea
Robert Allain Republican Yea
Stewart Jr. Cathey Republican Yea
Thomas A. Pressly Republican Yea
Valarie Hodges Republican Nay

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety civil-rights
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 SB 97?
SB 97 is sponsored by John C. "Jay" Morris (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 97?
This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced February 20, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track SB 97?
Track SB 97 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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