Louisiana legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Louisiana SB448: PUBLIC DEFENDER: Provides relative to the office of the state public defender. (8/1/26)
Status: Signed into law, June 1, 2026
What the bill says
An act To amend and reenact R.S. 15:142(F), 168(E), and 175(B)(1), and to enact R.S. 15:142(G) and 175(E), relative to the Louisiana Public Defender Act; to provide for legislative findings; to provide for the judicial district indigent defender fund; to provide for proceedings to determine indigency; and to provide for related matters.
From the introduced text:
AN ACT To amend and reenact R.S. 15:142(F), 168(E), and 175(B)(1), and to enact R.S. 15:142(G) and 175(E), relative to the Louisiana Public Defender Act; to provide for legislative findings; to provide for the judicial district indigent defender fund; to provide for proceedings to determine indigency; and to provide for related matters. Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana: Section 1. R.S. 15:142(F), 168(E), and 175(B)(1) are hereby amended and reenacted and R.S. 15:142(G) and 175(E) are hereby enacted to read as follows: §142. Legislative findings * * * F. It is the express intention of the legislature that all funds received through any state appropriation, any judicial district indigent defender fund as provided for in R.S. 15:168, and any funds received from local governments shall not be used for any purposes other than to provide for the administration of services and representation of public defender clients. G. It is the express intention of the legislature that the office respect local differences in practice and custom regarding the delivery of public defender services. Page 1 of Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law; words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SLS 26RS-983 ORIGINAL SB NO. The provisions of this Part are to be construed to preserve the operation of district public defender programs which …
Sponsors
- Luneau, Jay (D, 29) · primary sponsor
Latest actions
- : Effective date 8/1/2026.
- : Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 769.
- : Sent to the Governor by the Secretary of the Senate.
- : Signed by the Speaker of the House.
- : Enrolled. Signed by the President of the Senate.
- : Amendments proposed by the House read and concurred in by a vote of 32 yeas and 0 nays.
- : Received from the House with amendments.
- : Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 96, nays 3. Finally passed, ordered to the Senate.
- : Called from the calendar.
- : Read by title, returned to the calendar.
Votes
- Senate Vote on SB 448, CONCUR (#1420) (May 27, 2026): 32 yea, 0 nay, passed
- House Vote on SB 448, FINAL PASSAGE (#1529) (May 26, 2026): 96 yea, 3 nay, passed
- Senate Vote on SB 448, FINAL PASSAGE (#377) (April 20, 2026): 36 yea, 0 nay, passed
Common questions
- What is SB448?
- SB448 is a bill in the Louisiana Legislature (2026 Regular Session): PUBLIC DEFENDER: Provides relative to the office of the state public defender. (8/1/26).
- What does SB448 do?
- In its own words: An act To amend and reenact R.S. 15:142(F), 168(E), and 175(B)(1), and to enact R.S. 15:142(G) and 175(E), relative to the Louisiana Public Defender Act; to provide for legislative findings; to provide for the judicial district indigent defender fund; to provide for proceedings to determine indigency; and to provide for related matters.
- What is the status of SB448?
- Signed into law as of June 1, 2026. Latest action: Effective date 8/1/2026. (June 1, 2026).
- Who sponsored SB448?
- Luneau, Jay (D, 29).
- Where is the official record for SB448?
- On the Louisiana Legislature website: https://legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?s=26RS&b=SB448
Source: official Louisiana record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.