HB 131 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

CRIMINAL/PROCEDURE: Provides relative to post-conviction relief

HB 131 modifies Louisiana's post-conviction relief process by adding two new restrictions on appeals. It denies relief if a petitioner knew about a claim but failed to raise it during trial (Article 930.4(B)) or raised it in trial but didn’t pursue it on appeal (Article 930.4(C)). The bill also changes custody rules: if relief is granted, the person cannot be released on bail until Louisiana’s Supreme Court finishes reviewing the case (Article 930.5(C)). This directly affects individuals convicted of crimes seeking to overturn their convictions through post-conviction appeals. The law aims to reduce repetitive or incomplete appeals while clarifying custody procedures during appeals.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
May 2026
Signed into Law
May 2026
Introduced Feb 13, 2026 Signed May 11, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB131 Original HB131 Act · 1 edit
MINOR
This bill converts the text of House Bill 131 from its original draft into its final enrolled form, making it ready for the Governor's signature. While the formatting and official headers were updated to reflect the final act status, the substantive legal language regarding post-conviction relief and the removal of the 'inexcusably failed' standard remains unchanged from the original version.
Scope change
The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged as the core legal text was preserved without modification.
TECHNICAL

Updated document headers, page numbers, and coding instructions to reflect the transition from a draft bill to an enrolled act.

Floor votes · Senate May 5, 2026 · House Apr 9, 2026

How they voted

2611
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 40
May 5, 2026
D Democratic12
1 Yea 10 Nay 1
83% Nay
R Republican28
25 Yea 1 Nay 2
89% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
20
Key actions
4
Committee
5
May 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
Read by title, passed by a vote of 26 yeas and 10 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
upper
Apr 22, 2026
Committee
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
upper
Apr 21, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably.
upper
Apr 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 74, nays 21. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
lower
Apr 1, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably (10-0).
lower
Mar 9, 2026
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
lower
Feb 13, 2026
Committee
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Tony Bacala
Tony Bacala
RRepublican
LA
59