Louisiana 26RS Session Status: Introduced 1 R cosponsors

SB97 — 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 — Read by title, returned to the calendar.

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

This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced February 20, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.

A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Stalled 28% · moderate confidence

  • Introduced

    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 3 recorded votes so far.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

In plain language

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

The bill proposes a constitutional amendment that mandates a prosecutor's agreement for a defendant to give up their right to a jury trial. This change aims to alter the current legal process surrounding jury waivers.

Summary

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))

Bill Text

We don't have the full text on file for this bill yet.

Read SB97 on the official Louisiana source →

Action History

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

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

  3. Reported favorably.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  11. Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments.

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

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

  14. Read by title, returned to the calendar.

  15. Notice given.

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

  17. Called from the calendar.

  18. Read by title, returned to the calendar.

  19. Notice given.

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

  21. Called from the calendar.

  22. Read by title, returned to the calendar.

  23. Notice given.

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

  25. Called from the calendar.

  26. Read by title, returned to the calendar.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 146 not signed on · 13 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

Senate: FINAL PASSAGE

Passed 26 Yea · 11 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 3200
Republican 23101
Democrat 0801
Total 261102
% of votes cast 67%28%0%5%
How each member voted (39)
Member Party Vote
Mr. President — Yea
Owen — Yea
Miller — Yea
Boudreaux — Nay
Carter — Nay
Edward J. Price 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
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 Allain Republican Yea
Stewart Jr. Cathey Republican Yea
Thomas A. Pressly Republican Yea
Valarie Hodges Republican Nay

Official roll call →

Favorably

Passed 7 Yea · 3 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 7000
Democrat 0300
Total 7300
% of votes cast 70%30%0%0%
How each member voted (10)
Member Party Vote
Alonzo L. Knox Democrat Nay
Pat Moore Democrat Nay
Vanessa Caston LaFleur Democrat Nay
Bryan Fontenot Republican Yea
Chad Michael Boyer Republican Yea
Debbie Villio Republican Yea
Dodie Horton Republican Yea
Doyle Boudreaux Republican Yea
III, Vincent E. Cox Republican Yea
Jeffrey "Jeff" Fons Wiley Republican Yea

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

What does SB97 do?
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))
Who sponsors SB97?
SB97 is sponsored by John C. "Jay" Morris (Republican).
What is the current status of SB97?
This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced February 20, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB97?
Track SB97 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on SB97

Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.

Find my representatives → Run a campaign

Stay ahead of SB97

Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.

Track this bill →