Louisiana 2026 Regular Session Status: Passed Senate 1 R cosponsors

SB 243 — BOATS/BOATING: Provides for requirements to stop and board a vessel. (8/1/26)

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

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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 26, 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.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

15 added · 11 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amendments to Bill SB 243 change the requirement for officers to board vessels from having "probable cause" to just needing "reasonable suspicion" of a violation. This means that officers will have a lower standard for taking action, making it easier for them to stop and check vessels. This change is significant because it could lead to more frequent stops of boats, which may help in catching violations, but it also raises concerns about potential overreach and the rights of boaters.

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SLS 26RS-174 ORIGINAL Regular Session SENATE BILL NO.
SLS 26RS-174 ENGROSSED Regular Session SENATE BILL NO.
to provide for probable cause;
to provide for reasonable suspicion;
SLS 26RS-174 ORIGINAL SB NO.
SLS 26RS-174 ENGROSSED SB NO.
243 provisions of this Part, unless the officer has probable cause to believe that a violationofthisParthasoccurredorisoccurring.Officerssoboardinganyvessel shall first identifythemselves and such officerin the performanceof his duties shall be without liability for trespass.
243 provisions of this Part, unless the officer reasonably suspects that a violation of this Part has occurred or is occurring.
Officers so boarding any vessel shall first identifythemselvesandsuchofficerintheperformanceofhisdutiesshallbewithout liability for trespass.
1:13(B) and 24:177(E)] DIGEST SB 243 Original 2026 Regular Session Kleinpeter Present law authorizes wildlife agents and peace officers,with or without a warrant,to stop and board anyvessel to address inquiries, require identification of persons and vessels, and examine vessels for compliancewith operationandequipment safetylaws.Furtherrequires officers to first identify themselves and exempts officers from liability for trespass.
1:13(B) and 24:177(E)] DIGEST SB 243 Engrossed 2026 Regular Session Kleinpeter Present law authorizes wildlife agents and peace officers,with or without a warrant,to stop and board anyvessel to address inquiries, require identification of persons and vessels, and examine vessels for compliancewith operationandequipment safetylaws.Furtherrequires officers to first identify themselves and exempts officers from liability for trespass.
Proposedlawretainsthedutyof wildlife agents andpeaceofficersto enforcetheprovisions of present law but prohibits an officer from stopping or boarding a vessel for the purpose of enforcing present law unless the officer has probable cause to believe that a violation has occurred or is occurring.
Proposedlawretainsthedutyof wildlife agents andpeaceofficersto enforcetheprovisions of present law but prohibits an officer from stopping or boarding a vessel for the purpose of enforcingpresent law unless the officerreasonablysuspects that a violation has occurredor is occurring.
34:851.29) Page 2 of 2 Coding:
34:851.29) Summary of Amendments Adopted by Senate Committee Amendments Proposed by Senate Committee on Natural Resources to the original bill 1.
Changes probable cause requirement to reasonable suspicion.
Page 2 of 2 Coding:
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Amendments

2 amendments

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

Action History

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

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

  3. Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 31 yeas and 0 nays, and sent to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  4. Read by title. Committee amendments read and adopted. Ordered engrossed and passed to third reading and final passage.

  5. Reported with amendments.

  6. Introduced in the Senate; read by title. Rules suspended. Read second time and referred to the Committee on Natural Resources.

  7. Prefiled and under the rules provisionally referred to the Committee on Natural Resources.

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

SB 243 BY KLEINPETER (#67)

Passed 31 Yea · 0 Nay · 7 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 1000
Republican 23004
Democrat 7003
Total 31007
% of votes cast 82%0%0%18%
How each member voted (38)
Member Party Vote
Mr. President — Yea
Edward J. Price Democrat Yea
Gary Carter Democrat Yea
Gerald Boudreaux Democrat Yea
Jay Luneau Democrat Not Voting
Jimmy Harris Democrat Not Voting
Katrina R. Jackson-Andrews Democrat Yea
Larry Selders Democrat Yea
Regina Barrow Democrat Yea
Royce Duplessis Democrat Not Voting
Sam Jenkins Democrat Yea
Adam Bass Republican Yea
Alan Seabaugh Republican Yea
Beth Mizell Republican Not Voting
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 Not Voting
Jr., William "Bill" Wheat Republican Yea
Kirk Talbot Republican Yea
Mark Abraham Republican Yea
Michael "Big Mike" Fesi Republican Yea
Mike Reese Republican Not Voting
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 Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

transportation
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 243?
SB 243 is sponsored by Caleb Kleinpeter (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 243?
This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced February 26, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track SB 243?
Track SB 243 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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