MILITARY AFFAIRS: Adds the U.S. Space Force to various statutory definitions of U.S. Armed Forces
HB 96 updates Louisiana law to include the U.S. Space Force as part of the defined "U.S. Armed Forces" in specific statutes. It amends references in Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:34.1(B) and 14:34.7(B) to add the Space Force to existing military definitions. This change directly affects state laws that reference "Armed Forces," ensuring consistency with the federal establishment of the Space Force as a separate military branch. The bill makes no new policy changes but aligns Louisiana’s legal language with current federal military structure.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
House Passage
Jun 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
Jun 2025
Introduced Mar 24, 2025
Signed Jun 8, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons
What changed between versions
HB96 Original
→
HB96 Act
·
4 edits
MODERATE
This bill updates Louisiana state laws to officially include the U.S. Space Force in legal definitions of the 'United States Armed Forces.' It also expands the definition of 'veteran' to explicitly list all military branches, including the Space Force, Coast Guard, and National Guard, ensuring these groups receive the same legal protections and benefits as other service members.
Scope change
The bill broadens the scope of protected military personnel by adding the U.S. Space Force and other specific branches to definitions used in criminal statutes and veteran status laws.
DEFINITION
Added 'United States Space Force' to the definition of 'Active member of the United States Armed Forces' in criminal battery statutes.
Added 'United States Space Force' to the definition of 'Disabled veteran' in criminal battery statutes.
Updated the definition of 'Veteran' in education and veteran affairs laws to explicitly list the Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, National Guard, and Reserves.
SCOPE
Revised the list of military branches in multiple statutes to ensure consistent inclusion of the Space Force and Coast Guard.
Floor votes · Senate May 29, 2025 · House May 8, 2025
How they voted
36–0
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 37
May 29, 2025
D
Democratic11
100% Yea
R
Republican26
96% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
25
Key actions
5
Committee
5
Jun 3, 2025
Lower · Passed
Read by title, roll called, yeas 100, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.
lower
May 29, 2025
Upper · Passed
Rules suspended. The amended bill was read by title, passed by a vote of 38 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
upper
May 21, 2025
Committee
Committee amendments read and adopted. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
upper
May 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported with amendments.
upper
May 8, 2025
Lower · Passed
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 89, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
lower
Apr 30, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably (16-0).
lower
Apr 14, 2025
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
lower
Mar 24, 2025
Committee
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
lower
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
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