Louisiana legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Louisiana HB126: COURTS: Provides relative to the use of a facility dog by a witness during certain circumstances
Status: Signed into law, June 2, 2026
What the bill says
An act To amend and reenact R.S. 15:284(A), relative to the use of facility dogs; to provide for the use of facility dogs by victims of sex offenses; and to provide for related matters.
From the introduced text:
AN ACT To amend and reenact R.S. 15:284(A), relative to the use of facility dogs; to provide for the use of facility dogs by victims of sex offenses; and to provide for related matters. Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana: Section 1. R.S. 15:284(A) is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows: §284. Facility dogs; use in court; procedure A. The court shall allow a witness who is either under eighteen years of age, or who has a developmental disability as defined in R.S. 28:451.2, or who is the victim of a sex offense as defined in R.S. 15:541 to have be accompanied by a facility dog, if available, accompany them while testifying in court. * * * DIGEST The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part 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 126 Original 2026 Regular Session Mandie Landry Abstract: Authorizes the use of facility dogs by witnesses who are the victims of a sex offense. Present law requires the court to allow a witness who is either under 18 years of age or who has a developmental disability to be accompanied by a facility dog, if …
Sponsors
- Landry, Mandie (D, 91) · primary sponsor
- Adams, Roy (D, 62)
- Amedée, Beryl (R, 51)
- Bayham Jr., Michael (R, 103)
- Boudreaux, Doyle (R, 39)
- Boyd, Delisha (D, 102)
- Chassion, Tehmi (D, 44)
- Chenevert, Emily (R, 66)
- Crews, Raymond (R, 8)
- Domangue, Jessica (R, 53)
- Egan Sr., Peter (R, 74)
- Freiberg, Barbara (R, 70)
Latest actions
- : Effective date: 08/01/2026.
- : Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 616.
- : Sent to the Governor for executive approval.
- : Signed by the President of the Senate.
- : Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
- : Read by title, roll called, yeas 99, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.
- : Scheduled for concurrence on 05/29/2026.
- : Received from the Senate with amendments.
- : Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 36 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
- : Rules suspended. Called from the Calendar.
Votes
- House Vote on HB 126, CONCUR IN SENATE AMENDMENTS (#1662) (May 29, 2026): 99 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Senate Vote on HB 126, FINAL PASSAGE (#1373) (May 26, 2026): 36 yea, 0 nay, passed
- House Vote on HB 126, FINAL PASSAGE (#148) (March 26, 2026): 91 yea, 0 nay, passed
Common questions
- What is HB126?
- HB126 is a bill in the Louisiana Legislature (2026 Regular Session): COURTS: Provides relative to the use of a facility dog by a witness during certain circumstances.
- What does HB126 do?
- In its own words: An act To amend and reenact R.S. 15:284(A), relative to the use of facility dogs; to provide for the use of facility dogs by victims of sex offenses; and to provide for related matters.
- What is the status of HB126?
- Signed into law as of June 2, 2026. Latest action: Effective date: 08/01/2026. (June 2, 2026).
- Who sponsored HB126?
- Landry, Mandie (D, 91), with 11 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for HB126?
- On the Louisiana Legislature website: https://legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?s=26RS&b=HB126
Source: official Louisiana record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.