HB 257 Louisiana House · 2025 Regular Session

WATER/SEWER OPERATORS: Provides relative to receivership of water or wastewater companies (EN NO IMPACT See Note)

HB 257 clarifies when Louisiana regulators may place failing water or wastewater companies under receivership. It specifies two triggers: (1) water companies receiving a "D" or "F" grade under state water quality standards and being unable to improve to a "C" grade, or (2) wastewater companies exceeding pollution limits in three consecutive reporting periods and being unable to comply. The Louisiana Public Service Commission must determine the company's financial, managerial, or technical inability to resolve these issues before receivership begins. This bill directly affects water and sewer utilities that repeatedly fail state regulatory standards.

Issues: ✓ Environment

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Apr 2025

Committee Review

Jun 2025

House Passage

Jun 2025

Senate Passage

Jun 2025

Signed into Law

Jun 2025

Introduced Apr 1, 2025 Signed Jun 11, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB257 Original → HB257 Act 257 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was finalized into an enrolled act, adding a requirement for a court-appointed receiver to submit a detailed transition and operational plan within 90 days. This plan must outline steps to restore service, financial assessments, customer service provisions, and a timeline for returning control to the original operator or transferring it to a new one. The core criteria for placing a water or wastewater company into receivership remain largely the same, though the text was updated to include specific performance grades and discharge violations as triggers.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding the appointment of receivers and the conditions under which they occur remains substantively unchanged, but new procedural requirements were added for the receiver's ongoing management of the utility.

REQUIREMENT

Added a mandatory requirement for the receiver to submit and publish a transition and operational plan within 90 days of appointment, detailing service restoration, finances, and a timeline for resolving the receivership.

Modified the bond requirement for receivers to explicitly allow the court to waive the bond upon a showing of just cause, whereas the original text did not mention this possibility.

DEFINITION

Updated the list of conditions allowing a court to place a company in receivership to include specific performance grades (D or F) and excessive sewerage discharges, replacing a more general reference to rules adopted by the commission.

TIMELINE

Established a specific 90-day deadline for the receiver to submit their transition and operational plan to the commission.

Floor votes · Senate Jun 2, 2025 · House May 19, 2025

How they voted

33–0

Passed · 4 other

Total votes 37

Jun 2, 2025

D Democratic11

9 Yea 2

81% Yea

R Republican26

24 Yea 2

92% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jun 9, 2025

Lower · Passed

Read by title, roll called, yeas 96, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.

lower

Jun 2, 2025

Upper · Passed

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

upper

Jun 1, 2025

Committee

Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

upper

May 29, 2025

Upper · Passed

Reported favorably.

upper

May 19, 2025

Lower · Passed

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

lower

May 13, 2025

Lower · Passed

Reported with amendments (12-0).

lower

Apr 14, 2025

Committee

Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Commerce.

lower

Apr 1, 2025

Committee

Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Commerce.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors