2023 Louisiana Legislative Session Ends; Our Fight Continues!

RECAP

June 8 marked the end of this year’s regular legislative session in Louisiana. Thank you to our supporters and partners for your attention, persistence, and support throughout an exhausting legislative session. Here are the latest updates on the session and how to stay involved:   

PPGC-Supported Bills: 

• HB 117:  Requires all public schools to provide free menstrual products. Despite passing the House and the Senate Education Committee,  this bill got stuck in the Senate chamber for the second year in a row and ran out of time.   
• HB 186: Provides health insurance coverage for fertility preservation services. Passed both chambers and pending governor’s signature 
• HB 272: Provides insurance coverage for maternity support services of doulas. Passed both chambers and pending governor’s signature 
• SB 11;  Prohibits gender-based insurance rate discrimination.Like HB 117, this bill was also stalled in the Senate and ran out of time. 
• SB 135:  Allows Medicaid coverage for services provided by a licensed midwife. Passed both chambers (unanimously in the House!) and pending governor’s signature.

PPGC-Opposed Bills:  

• HB 81: aka the “deadname bill,” prohibits the use of certain names and pronouns for students in public schools. Passed both chambers and pending action by the governor, who has pledged to veto.  
• HB 463, now HB 648:  Bans gender-affirming care for transgender youth. After the bill’s initial defeat in the Senate Health and Welfare committee, lawmakers shamefully revived and passed the ban. Now pending action by the governor, who has pledged to veto.  
• HB 466: aka the “don’t say gay” bill.  Passed both chambers and pending action by the governor, who has pledged to veto. 
• SB 7: Library censorship bill that specifically targets LGBTQ+ materials. Passed both chambers, now pending action by the governor – stay tuned for updates. 
•  SB 41: Provides tax credits on donations to deceptive anti-abortion organizations known as Crisis Pregnancy Centers. Passed both chambers, now pending action by the governor –  stay tuned for updates. 

Gov. John Bel-Edwards has publicly committed to vetoing the “Hate Slate,” which consists of the youth gender-affirming care ban, “don’t say gay,” and ”deadname” bills. 

What’s next:  

This fight is not over. While we had a tough legislative session, there is still work to be done. Here’s how to get involved:  

• Sign up for the Louisiana Lagniappe newsletter: Get all the latest updates on PPGC’s work in Louisiana. 
• Register to vote: Election season is coming up this fall, so make sure you’re registered to vote!  
• Donate to PPGC: This legislative session proved our work to build a more equitable state is far from over. Support us today by donating, and ...  
• Volunteer with PPGC: Join our movement and help us  advocate for reproductive health and rights, share essential information, and uplift our communities. 

That’s a wrap for this week. Stay tuned for our final 2023 Louisiana Legislative Session email  for a full summary of all the action on the priority bills we tracked this year.

Resources

• PPGC Legislative Guide 
  PPGC Bill Tracker 
• ACLU of Louisiana's Activism Guide 
• 2023 Regular Legislative Session 
• Find My Legislators