LA Lege Tracker 2023
Welcome to our 2023 Legislation Tracker for Louisiana’s 2023 Regular Legislative Session, which began on April 10th and adjourned on June 8th. Below you’ll find information about the legislation we tracked and their outcomes. We thank each and every person that joined the fight with us against these hate-filled bills.
Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills
PARENTAL RIGHTS, YOUTH RIGHTS, STUDENT RIGHTS
🚫 HB648 (previously HB463) would ban gender-affirming care for minors and would not allow exceptions for parents to give permission for their children to access gender-affirming care.
Signed into law after the Governor’s veto was overridden. It’s currently scheduled to take effect January 1, 2024. If a minor is already receiving gender-affirming care before that date, they have until December 31, 2024, to ‘ween off’. More info to come on support structures for youth seeking this care after the ban would go into effect.
Note: The ban’s effective date could be delayed due to potential litigation.
🚫 HB466 would ban the discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in schools. This Don’t Say Queer/Gay/Trans bill also includes some of HB81‘s language, which would force school employees to use pronouns that align with a student’s sex unless a parent provides written permission. It allows public school employees to openly disrespect a student if it “is contrary to the employee's religious or moral convictions.”
Vetoed by the Governor and blocked from becoming law.
🚫 HB81 would force school officials to use the name and pronouns that correlate with students’ birth certificates unless a parent provides explicit written consent for them to do otherwise. This bill explicitly codifies that public school officials are forced to disrespect trans or queer students by calling them pronouns that are incorrect. And in the event that a parent would give explicit direction about their kid’s pronouns, public school officials can still not respect that request if they cite their “religious or moral convictions.” While this bill is obviously targeting trans and queer youth, it would also affect all of the folks called Liz with Elizabeth on their birth certificate, etc. Some of the language within this bill can also be found in HB466, the Don’t Say Gay/Trans/Queer bill.
Vetoed by the Governor and blocked from becoming law.
🚫 HB152 is an incredibly vague parental rights bill that would amend our state constitution. If passed, it would then require a ballot vote this fall.
Died without a vote on the House Floor.
LIBRARY CENSORSHIP & OVERSIGHT
🚫 SB7 & HB102 are library book censorship bills. These bills would require that undefined “community standards” would need to be met when libraries acquire their materials. It would implement a likely-costly new library card system. It also threatens to defund any libraries that fail to comply with the proposed law.
SB7 was signed into law. HB102 never moved.
🚫 HB25 is a library oversight bill attempting to fix a problem that doesn’t seem to exist. It creates unnecessary rules for the Library Board of Controls that preempt what their local communities intended for them. It also allows the parish council/governing authority to fire board members, librarians, and other library personnel.
Defeated in House Municipal.
🚫 HB628 (previously HB360) is an obvious attempt to manipulate the outcome of Livingston Parish Library Board of Control votes since it’s been somewhat successful at stopping book censorship. This bill would allow the parish council to add more board members, and considering the current circumstances, it’s a clear attempt to add board members that support book bans.
Signed by the Governor into law.
DIGITAL CENSORSHIP
🚫 HB77 allows the state attorney general to investigate and potentially fine publishers and distributors of content they deem as “material harmful to minors.” Considering the current tirade our Attorney General has been on against LGBTQ+ books, this is an obvious continuation of his plan to silence LGBTQ+ authors.
Amended on the House floor to drastically narrow the bill’s reach. The bill should only affect actual p*rn companies now, and though it is still a form of digital censorship, we’re grateful its broader danger was reduced. Signed by the Governor in its amended form into law.
🚫 SB162 would require parental consent for minors to have social media accounts, and if permission is given, it would require platforms to give parents password access to their minors’ accounts.
Signed by the Governor into law.
🚫 HB61 would make it so that minors can’t have social media accounts without their parent’s permission.
Signed by the Governor into law.
Positive LGBTQ+ Bills
🛡️ HB40 provides employment protections against discrimination for LGBTQ+ folks across Louisiana.
Failed to pass House Labor and unable to move for the remainder of the legislative session.
Other Lege Resources
🚨 La Lege 2023: What You Need to Know from Forum for Equality
🧑⚖️ ACLU of LA’s Werk The Lege Activism Guide
🦸♀️ See what 10,000 Women is tracking on their Bill Tracker
✊ See what the Power Coalition is tacking on their Bill Tracker