HB 695 Louisiana House · 2025 Regular Session

COMMERCIAL REGULATIONS: Provides relative to gold and silver as legal tender (EN SEE FISC NOTE SG EX)

HB 695 would require Louisiana businesses to accept gold or silver coins, bullion, or a gold-backed debit card (which converts stored gold into cash) as legal tender for transactions. This directly affects residents and businesses in Louisiana by expanding the forms of payment they must accept, beyond traditional currency. The bill’s key mechanism explicitly lists government-issued gold/silver coins and bullion as valid tender, while introducing a new "gold-backed debit instrument" for converting stored gold into fiat currency. The bill passed the Louisiana House on May 22, 2025, and is now pending in the Senate.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

May 2025

Committee Review

Jun 2025

House Passage

May 2025

Senate Passage

Jun 2025

Signed into Law

Jun 2025

Introduced May 20, 2025 Signed Jun 11, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB695 Original → HB695 Act 304 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was enrolled and approved into law as Act 304, changing its title from 'HB 695 Original' to 'HB 695 (Substitute for House Bill No. 386)' and updating the list of sponsors to include Representatives Amedee, Bayham, Billings, Dickerson, Edmonston, Egan, Firment, Galle, McCormick, Orgeron, Owen, Schamerhorn, and Wilder. The legislative text itself remains unchanged, but the document now includes official signatures from the Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, and Governor, confirming its enactment.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding gold and silver legal tender remains unchanged; the change is purely procedural, reflecting the bill's final passage and approval.

TECHNICAL

Added official signatures from the Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, and Governor to certify the bill as enacted law.

Updated the bill header to reflect its status as Act 304 and included the full list of co-sponsors.

Removed the 'ORIGINAL' stamp and the preliminary digest section that summarized the proposed changes before enactment.

Floor votes · Senate Jun 9, 2025 · House May 22, 2025

How they voted

37–0

Passed

Total votes 37

Jun 9, 2025

D Democratic11

11 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican26

26 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jun 9, 2025

Upper · Passed

Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 39 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

upper

Jun 8, 2025

Committee

Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

upper

Jun 8, 2025

Upper · Passed

Rules suspended. Recalled from Committee.

upper

Jun 8, 2025

Upper · Passed

Reported favorably. Rules suspended. Read by title and recommitted to the Committee on Finance.

upper

May 22, 2025

Lower · Passed

Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 84, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

lower

May 20, 2025

Lower · Passed

Read by title, substitute title adopted, lies over in the same order of business, substitute for HB No. 386 reported by the Committee on Commerce (7-6-1).

lower

1 primary · 13 co-sponsors