All Roll Calls
Yes: 175 • No: 75
LouisianaHB 2112026 Regular SessionHouseWALLET
COURTS: Provides relative to the creation, administration, and eligibility requirements of the Homelessness Court program (EN SEE FISC NOTE GF EX)
Sponsored By: Debbie Villio (Republican)
Signed by Governor
Judiciary CJudiciary
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
9 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 1 costs, 4 mixed.
Case dismissal after homeless defendants finish probation
An eligible Homelessness Court participant can receive deferred proceedings with the district attorney's prior approval. The judge must find that deferral serves both the public and the defendant. After the participant completes all probation terms, the court must discharge them and dismiss proceedings without a finding of guilt. This dismissal is available only once per person. It does not erase arrest or prosecution records, and convictions can still count when courts apply repeat-offender rules.
Privacy protections for court treatment participants
Treatment records generally cannot leave the treatment facility, Homelessness Court program, or district attorney without the patient's consent. Other legal exceptions still apply, and published research using these records cannot identify patients. Covered Homelessness Court records also receive an exception from public-record disclosure. Statements about charged offenses made to probation officers or treatment workers after probation begins cannot be used in other court cases. Those statements can still be used in a Homelessness Court probation-revocation case.
Fines and jail for unauthorized camping
The law creates an offense for intentionally using tents, shelters, or bedding for overnight stays on covered public property. It applies to property owned or controlled by Louisiana or its local governments outside designated campgrounds. Violations carry a fine of up to $500, up to six months in jail, or both.
Treatment options for homeless defendants
Louisiana district courts can create Homelessness Court programs linking supervised probation with treatment and support services. Prosecutors can seek screening for people experiencing homelessness who face state misdemeanor or felony charges. Entry requires a request, program acceptance, and a guilty plea; the judge makes the final eligibility decision. Prior felony convictions for homicide, sex offenses, or violent crimes bar entry, as do impaired-driving charges involving a death. Treatment lasts at least 12 months, and the law does not guarantee access to treatment. Participants retain the right to counsel; noncompliance can lead to sanctions, revoked probation, or jail. People violating the camping law can enter Homelessness Court or Veterans Court only where available and after meeting participation requirements.
Court treatment costs with payment relief
Homelessness Court participants must contribute toward treatment and supervision costs based on their financial resources and program guidelines. The court can waive fees or allow supervised community work instead of payment. For people unable to pay related program costs, the court must arrange publicly funded treatment when practical. Participants also pay court-ordered drug and alcohol testing costs unless the court finds them unable to pay.
Liability shields for camping service providers
Beginning January 1, 2027, covered local governments and officials receive liability protections for covered camping decisions and designated sites. Service providers and volunteers receive protections for covered services offered in good faith without pay, even outside emergencies. Covered help includes food, hygiene, basic health care, housing navigation, legal aid, and childcare. Federal and constitutional claims remain available.
Safety checks for homeless housing facilities
Beginning January 1, 2027, Louisiana's health department can set minimum standards for emergency shelters, community facilities, licensed group homes, and halfway houses. Standards must consider safety, sanitation, privacy, and whether facilities are fit to live in. The state fire marshal must inspect these facilities to verify safe and sanitary housing for people experiencing homelessness. The health department can seek federal waivers to fund health care and housing services for homeless people with illnesses.
Removed belongings get storage with limits
Beginning January 1, 2027, covered entities must store homeless people's belongings removed during specified camping enforcement for at least 30 days. Owners can request their belongings back through the entity's procedures. Entities are not liable for belongings left unclaimed after that period. They also avoid liability for disposing of contaminated, perishable, or hazardous items under their procedures.
Public camping limits with regulated sites
Beginning January 1, 2027, local governments cannot allow regular camping on public property except through the designation process. A majority vote can approve a site for one year, renewable annually, when local shelter beds are insufficient. Sites cannot border land marked for residential use or materially harm nearby property values, security, or children's safety. Local governments must notify the Louisiana Department of Health within 10 days and publish site rules within 30 days. Rules must stay publicly available and cover security, working restrooms, running water, behavioral-health coordination, and enforcement against illegal substance use. The health department can inspect sites and issue closure notices for unmet requirements or public-health threats; local governments must publish them.
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsor
Debbie Villio
Republican • House
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
House vote • 5/29/2026
Read by title, roll called, yeas 72, nays 28, Senate amendments concurred in.
Yes: 72 • No: 28
Senate vote • 5/28/2026
Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 21 yeas and 15 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
Yes: 21 • No: 15
House vote • 4/15/2026
Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 70, nays 28. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
Yes: 70 • No: 28
House vote • 4/9/2026
Reported with amendments
Yes: 12 • No: 4
Actions Timeline
Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 788.
6/9/2026HouseEffective date: See Act.
6/9/2026HouseSent to the Governor for executive approval.
6/4/2026HouseEnrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
6/1/2026HouseSigned by the President of the Senate.
6/1/2026SenateRead by title, roll called, yeas 72, nays 28, Senate amendments concurred in.
5/29/2026HouseCalled from the Calendar.
5/28/2026SenateSenate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 21 yeas and 15 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
5/28/2026SenateReceived from the Senate with amendments.
5/28/2026HouseScheduled for concurrence on 05/29/2026.
5/28/2026HouseRead by title and returned to the Calendar, subject to call.
5/11/2026SenateReported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
5/4/2026SenateCommittee amendments read and adopted. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
4/29/2026SenateReported with amendments.
4/28/2026SenateRead second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary C.
4/21/2026SenateReceived in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
4/20/2026SenateRead third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 70, nays 28. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
4/15/2026HouseDischarged from the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs.
4/14/2026HouseRead by title, passed to 3rd reading.
4/14/2026HouseScheduled for floor debate on 04/15/2026.
4/14/2026HouseRead by title, amended, ordered engrossed, recommitted to the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs.
4/13/2026HouseReported with amendments (12-4). To be recommitted to the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs.
4/9/2026HouseRead by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
3/9/2026HouseFirst appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/20/2026.
2/20/2026HousePrefiled.
2/19/2026House
Bill Text
Enacted
Engrossed
Enrolled
Introduced
Reengrossed
Related Bills
HB 1095, NURSING HOMES: Provides for alternative power sources at nursing facilities
HB 1084, STUDENT/TUITION: Provides relative to tuition and mandatory fees for public postsecondary education institutions
HB 1028, MEDICAID: Requires the Louisiana Department of Health to increase the reimbursement rates for nonemergency medical transportation providers (EN +$2,601,174 GF EX See Note)
HB 153, COURTS/CRIMINAL: Provides with respect to the collection of criminal court fines and fees
HB 1201, ELECTED OFFICIALS/COMP: Provides with respect to the compensation of statewide elected officials and legislators (EN INCREASE GF EX See Note)
HB 1249, HEALTH/SCHOOL CLINICS: Provides relative to school-based health center services provided to students (EN SEE FISC NOTE LF EX)