PRIA Logo™
LouisianaSB 2192026 Regular SessionSenateWALLET

HEALTH DEPARTMENT: Creates the office of health and nutrition within the Louisiana Department of Health. (gov sig) (EN NO IMPACT See Note)

Sponsored By: Patrick McMath (Republican)

Signed by Governor

Health and Welfare

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.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

New Louisiana office coordinates nutrition programs

Beginning October 1, 2026, the law creates Louisiana's Office of Health and Nutrition within the state health department. An executive director reports to the health secretary, who sets the office's duties and controls its staffing. The office does not require an assistant secretary. It leads nutrition, preventive care, fitness, and chronic disease efforts. Its responsibilities include WIC, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. It develops policies to improve healthy-food access and consumption among SNAP recipients. It works with public health and aging offices, including on Alzheimer's and related dementia risk-reduction education and other chronic diseases. The law places homeless-related WIC rules under the new office's responsibilities. Department rules must provide nonperishable foods and allow small, frequent voucher distributions for homeless participants. Rules must also allow qualified partner groups to identify and enroll eligible homeless participants, while meeting federal requirements to protect funding. The department can transfer existing money and staff to establish and operate the office; no new funding amount is specified. The law does not change benefit amounts, eligibility rules, or taxes.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

  • Patrick McMath

    Republican • Senate

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 142 • No: 0

House vote • 5/11/2026

Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 96, nays 0. Finally passed, ordered to the Senate.

Yes: 96 • No: 0

House vote • 4/29/2026

Reported favorably

Yes: 11 • No: 0

Senate vote • 3/31/2026

Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title and passed by a vote of 35 yeas and 0 nays; ordered reengrossed and sent to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

Yes: 35 • No: 0

Actions Timeline

  1. Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 368.

    5/22/2026Senate

  2. Effective date 10/1/2026.

    5/22/2026Senate

  3. Sent to the Governor by the Secretary of the Senate.

    5/20/2026Senate

  4. Enrolled. Signed by the President of the Senate.

    5/19/2026Senate

  5. Signed by the Speaker of the House.

    5/19/2026House

  6. Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 96, nays 0. Finally passed, ordered to the Senate.

    5/11/2026House

  7. Received from the House with amendments.

    5/11/2026Senate

  8. Scheduled for floor debate on 05/11/2026.

    5/7/2026House

  9. Read by title, passed to 3rd reading.

    5/6/2026House

  10. Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments.

    5/5/2026House

  11. Reported favorably (11-0). Referred to the Legislative Bureau.

    4/29/2026House

  12. Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.

    4/7/2026House

  13. Received in the House from the Senate, read by title, lies over under the rules.

    4/1/2026House

  14. Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title and passed by a vote of 35 yeas and 0 nays; ordered reengrossed and sent to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

    3/31/2026Senate

  15. Read by title. Committee amendments read and adopted. Ordered engrossed and passed to third reading and final passage.

    3/30/2026Senate

  16. Reported with amendments.

    3/25/2026Senate

  17. Introduced in the Senate; read by title. Rules suspended. Read second time and referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.

    3/9/2026Senate

  18. Prefiled and under the rules provisionally referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.

    2/26/2026Senate

Bill Text

Related Bills

Back to State Legislation