New Laws in Louisiana Set to Take Effect on January 1

As with every year, there are a number of laws in Louisiana that will go into effect on New Year's Day.

But there is one in particular that has been hotly debated and not approved by Governor John Bel Edwards.

House Bill 648 was voted in this past spring but vetoed by Gov. Edwards. That veto was later overridden during July's veto override session.

What is House Bill 648 all about?

The bill bans gender-affirming health care for transgender youth.

In addition to outlawing gender-affirming surgeries for minors, it also bans hormone treatments, puberty-blocking drugs, and other related gender-affirming care for minors.

Will it remain in law?

Gov. Edwards has stated that he expects the courts to throw out the bill as he has called it "unconstitutional."

The bill does not come without precedent as a total of 22 states in America have laws or policies banning gender-affirming care for those up to age 18.

There were many new bills passed during the 2023 regular session and you can view those here.

Below is a list of some of the more prominent bills passed that go into effect on January 1, 2024:

HB648 - Prohibits certain procedures to alter the sex of a minor child (Act 466)

HB337 - Eliminates the minimum child support award in the child support guidelines (Act 24)

HB447 - Requires agency referrals of delinquent debt to the office of debt recovery for collection to include certain information (Act 87)

HB579 - Provides relative to pet insurance (Act 94)

HB279 - Provides relative to conveying by the La. Tax Commission of ad valorem tax assessment information it receives from local assessors (Act 161)

HB398 - Requires persons being transported offshore by aircraft to wear life jackets equipped with personal locator beacons (Act 168)

HB89 - Provides relative to the collection of certain traffic stop data by law enforcement (Act 217)

SB84 - Requires the La. Board of Ethics to send certain communications electronically. (Act 241)

SB186 - Provides relative to the Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact. (Act 263)

HB411 - Expands the types of investments eligible for the insurance premium tax credit. (Act 310)

HB468 - Provides relative to utilization review standards and approval procedures for healthcare service claims submitted by healthcare providers (Act 312)

SB66 - Provides relative to telehealth services. (Act 322)

HB558 - Provides for the collection and remittance of state and local sales and use taxes. (Act 375)

HB631 - Provides with respect to the sourcing of sales for purposes of calculating Louisiana income. (Act 430)

HB160 - Provides relative to rights of victims of alleged delinquent acts (Act 448)

SB103 - Renames the Department of Natural Resources. (Act 150)