Louisiana 2026 Regular Session Status: Enacted 1 R cosponsors

HB 263 — COURTS: Provides with respect to the magistrate judge of the Fourteenth Judicial District Court and authority relative to specialty court programs

Last action — Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 295.

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  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 23, 2026. Enacted.

Signed by Governor Jeff Landry (Republican) on May 22, 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.

In plain language

The bill establishes authority for a magistrate judge regarding specialty court programs.

This bill defines the powers of a magistrate judge in the Fourteenth Judicial District Court concerning specialty court programs. It aims to clarify the judge's responsibilities and authority within these specialized legal frameworks.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

7 added · 28 removed

Plain-language change summary

In the latest version of HB 263, a reference to "ACT No. 295" has been removed. This change simplifies the text of the bill by eliminating potentially confusing legal jargon. By streamlining the language, the bill becomes easier for everyone to understand, making it more accessible to the public. This is important because clearer legislation helps ensure that citizens can better grasp their rights and responsibilities.

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Latest
HLS 26RS-954 REENGROSSED Regular Session HOUSE BILL NO.
ENROLLED Regular Session HOUSE BILL NO.
263 BY REPRESENTATIVE FARNUM COURTS:
263 BY REPRESENTATIVE FARNUM AN ACT To enact R.S.
Provides with respect to the magistrate judge of the Fourteenth Judicial District Court and authority relative to specialty court programs AN ACT To enact R.S.
magistrate judge * * * E.(1) Notwithstanding this Section or any other provision of law to the contrary, subject to the approval of the en banc judges of the Fourteenth Judicial District Court, the magistrate judge maypreside over a specialtycourt program and fullyadjudicate the relatedfelonycharges for those whohavepledinto or otherwise agreed to participate in a specialtycourt program.
magistrate judge * * * E.(1) Notwithstanding this Section or any other provision of law to the contrary, subject to the approval of the en banc judges of the Fourteenth Judicial District Court, the magistrate judge maypreside over a specialtycourt program and fullyadjudicatetherelatedfelonycharges for those who have pled into or otherwise agreed to participate in a specialtycourt program.
Page 1 of 2 CODING:
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA APPROVED:
Wordsinstruckthroughtypearedeletionsfromexistinglaw;wordsunderscored are additions.
Page 1 of 1 CODING:
HLS 26RS-954 REENGROSSED HB NO.
263 DIGEST ThedigestprintedbelowwaspreparedbyHouseLegislative Services.
It constitutes nopart of the legislative instrument.
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 263 Reengrossed 2026 Regular Session Farnum Abstract:
Authorizes the magistrate judge of the 14th Judicial District Court (JDC) to preside over specialtycourt programs.
Present law provides relative to the elected magistrate judge of the 14th JDC.
Further provides for term limits, qualifications, salary requirements, and related matters.
Proposed law retains present law.
Proposed law defines "specialty court" and further provides that subject to the approval of the en banc judges of the 14th JDC, the magistrate judge may preside over specialty court programstofullyadjudicaterelatedfelonychargesforthosewhohavepledintoorotherwise agreed to participate in a specialtycourt program.
(Adds R.S.
13:589(E)) Summary of Amendments Adopted by House The House Floor Amendments to the engrossed bill:
1.
Modify the definition of "specialty court" to include a drug, domestic abuse, behavioral health, or juvenile specialty court handling matters related to allegations of domestic abuse.
Page 2 of 2 CODING:
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Amendments

1 amendment

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

Action History

  1. Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 295.

  2. Effective date: 08/01/2026.

  3. Sent to the Governor for executive approval.

  4. Received from the Senate without amendments.

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

  6. Signed by the President of the Senate.

  7. Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 32 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 Judiciary A.

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

  13. Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 97, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

  14. Scheduled for floor debate on 04/15/2026.

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

  16. Reported favorably (13-0).

  17. Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

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

  19. Prefiled.

  20. Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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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 (#877)

Passed 32 Yea · 0 Nay · 7 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 1000
Republican 24003
Democrat 7004
Total 32007
% of votes cast 82%0%0%18%
How each member voted (39)
Member Party Vote
Mr. President — Yea
Edward J. Price Democrat Yea
Gary Carter Democrat Not Voting
Gerald Boudreaux Democrat Yea
Jay Luneau Democrat Yea
Jimmy Harris Democrat Not Voting
Katrina R. Jackson-Andrews Democrat Yea
Larry Selders Democrat Not Voting
Regina Barrow Democrat Not Voting
Royce Duplessis Democrat Yea
Sam Jenkins Democrat Yea
Sidney Barthelemy II Democrat Yea
Adam Bass Republican Yea
Alan Seabaugh Republican Yea
Beth Mizell Republican Not Voting
Blake Miguez Republican Yea
Bob Hensgens Republican Not Voting
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 Not Voting
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 Yea

Official roll call →

FINAL PASSAGE (#526)

Passed 97 Yea · 0 Nay · 8 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 7000
Democrat 27003
Republican 63005
Total 97008
% of votes cast 92%0%0%8%
How each member voted (105)
Member Party Vote
Mr. Speaker — Yea
Amedee — Yea
Galle — Yea
Stagni — Yea
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 Yea
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 Not Voting
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 Not Voting
Rodney Lyons Democrat Yea
Roy Daryl Adams Democrat Yea
Shaun Raphael Mena Democrat Yea
Sr., Wilford Carter Democrat Not Voting
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 Yea
Barbara Reich Freiberg Republican Yea
Beth Anne Billings Republican Yea
Brett F. Geymann Republican Yea
Brian Leonard Glorioso Republican Yea
Bryan Fontenot Republican Yea
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 Yea
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 Not Voting
Kathy Edmonston Republican Yea
Kellee Hennessy Dickerson Republican Yea
Kim Carver Republican Not Voting
Kimberly Landry Coates Republican Yea
Larry A. Bagley Republican Yea
Lauren Ventrella Republican Yea
Laurie Schlegel Republican Yea
Les Farnum Republican Yea
Mark Wright Republican Yea
Michael "Gabe" Firment Republican Yea
Michael Charles Echols Republican Yea
Michael Melerine Republican Yea
Mike Johnson Republican Not Voting
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 Not Voting
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 Yea
Shane Mack Republican Yea
Sr., Peter F. Egan Republican Yea
Stephanie H. Berault Republican Not Voting
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 civil-rights
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Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors HB 263?
HB 263 is sponsored by Les Farnum (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 263?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 23, 2026. Enacted.
Where can I track HB 263?
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