HB 1146: EARLY CHILDHOOD: Provides relative to the Advisory Council on Early Childhood Care and Education and the Early Childhood Care and Education Commission - Louisiana

HB1146 Original → HB1146 Act 580 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill consolidates two separate early childhood entities into one unified commission to improve efficiency and alignment. It removes the Advisory Council on Early Childhood Care and Education entirely, transferring its duties to the new commission. The membership structure was significantly reorganized, changing the number of voting members from 45 to 44 and altering the appointing authority for many seats from the state superintendent of education to the Governor or legislative leaders.

Scope change

The bill's scope narrowed by eliminating the standalone Advisory Council and merging its functions into the existing Early Childhood Care and Education Commission, thereby reducing the number of distinct governing bodies.

SCOPE

The statutory authority for the Advisory Council on Early Childhood Care and Education was repealed, and its duties were transferred to the Early Childhood Care and Education Commission.

REQUIREMENT

The commission's membership composition was altered; the total number of voting members was reduced from 45 to 44, and the appointing authority for many seats shifted from the state superintendent of education to the Governor, Speaker of the House, or President of the Senate.

Specific member categories were renumbered and redefined, such as changing the representation for Type I, II, and III early learning centers and adding new categories like a representative from the special education programs within the Department of Education.

The list of nonvoting ex officio members was updated, removing roles like the chairmen of specific legislative committees and adding new positions such as a representative from the Early Steps program.

HB1146 Enrolled → HB1146 Original · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill text was reformatted from an 'Enrolled' version to an 'Original' version, which involved reordering the legislative sections and updating the bill number and session details. The substantive policy content regarding the composition and duties of the Early Childhood Care and Education Commission remains consistent between the two versions.

TECHNICAL

The document structure was altered to reflect the original draft status, including changes to the bill number (HLS 26RS-2130) and the removal of the 'Enrolled' designation.

The order of the bill's sections was rearranged, moving the findings section and the commission amendment details to different positions relative to the main text.

Line numbers and page headers were updated to correspond with the original filing rather than the final enrolled version.

HB1146 Reengrossed → HB1146 Enrolled · 10 edits · May 25, 2026

MAJOR

The bill was finalized and renumbered from 'Reengrossed' to 'Enrolled' for official passage. Substantively, the composition of the Early Childhood Care and Education Commission was significantly expanded by adding new member categories, including representatives from maternal home visitation programs, early care researchers, and state economic development officials, while reorganizing existing roles to balance representation between the House and Senate.

Scope change

The scope of the commission's membership was broadened to include a wider range of stakeholders, specifically adding expertise in home visitation, early childhood research, and economic development to the existing body of forty-five members.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new member representing maternal, infant, and early childhood home visitation programs within the Bureau of Family Health.

Added a new member who is an early care and education researcher from a public postsecondary education institution.

Added a new member representing the Early Steps program within the Bureau of Family Health.

Added a new member representing early childhood programs within the state Department of Education.

Added a new member representing the director of the Louisiana Head Start Collaboration Office.

Added a new member representing special education programs within the state Department of Education.

Added a new member who is a staff member of the Board of Regents.

Added a new member who is the secretary of Louisiana Works or their designee.

Added a new member who is the secretary of Louisiana Economic Development or their designee.

Reorganized the appointment authority for various existing member categories to ensure a more balanced distribution of appointments between the Governor, the Speaker of the House, and the President of the Senate.

HB1146 Engrossed → HB1146 Reengrossed · 4 edits · May 20, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was reengrossed to streamline early childhood governance by consolidating the Advisory Council's duties into the Early Childhood Care and Education Commission. This change eliminates the separate statutory authority for the advisory council and transfers its responsibilities to the commission, simplifying oversight. Additionally, the bill's scope was expanded to include new sections (I through M) of the relevant statute, replacing previous specific subsections.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from amending specific subsections of R.S. 17:407.101 to amending sections C, E, F, G, and enacting new sections I through M, while simultaneously repealing the separate authority for the Advisory Council.

REQUIREMENT

The statutory authority for the Advisory Council on Early Childhood Care and Education was repealed, ending its independent existence.

Duties and authority previously held by the Advisory Council were transferred to the Early Childhood Care and Education Commission.

SCOPE

The legislative intent statement was updated to reflect the consolidation of the advisory council and the commission into a single entity for greater efficiency.

The specific statutes being amended were changed from subsections C(1) through L to include sections C, E, F, G, and new sections I through M.

EARLY CHILDHOOD: Provides relative to the Advisory Council on Early Childhood Care and Education and the Early Childhood Care and Education Commission

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