HB 23 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

RETIREMENT/STATE EMPS: Grants a cost-of-living adjustment to eligible retirees and beneficiaries (EN +$235,000,000 APV)

HB 23 would provide a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to eligible Louisiana state retirees and certain beneficiaries starting July 1, 2026. It applies to retirees aged 60+ with at least one year of benefits by June 30, 2026, plus specific beneficiaries (e.g., those linked to disability retirees or deceased retirees). The COLA would be capped at 2% of the first $80,000 of a recipient’s benefit and funded exclusively from the retirement system’s existing funds. The bill would take effect on June 30, 2026, pending legislative approval.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

May 2026

House Passage

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

May 2026

Signed into Law

May 2026

Introduced Jan 20, 2026 Signed May 22, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB23 Original → HB23 Act 280 · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill was finalized into law (Act 280) after being introduced as HB 23, expanding the number of sponsors from one representative to over twenty. The primary substantive change is an increase in the COLA benefit cap from $80,000 to $81,201, providing a slightly higher maximum annual benefit for eligible retirees and beneficiaries.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding who receives benefits and the funding mechanism remains unchanged; the change is limited to the maximum dollar threshold for the benefit.

REQUIREMENT

The maximum dollar amount eligible for the cost-of-living adjustment increased from $80,000 to $81,201.

TECHNICAL

The bill was formally enrolled and enacted, changing the status from a proposed draft to an approved law.

The number of bill sponsors was significantly increased, adding nineteen additional representatives to the original sponsor list.

Floor votes · Senate May 13, 2026 · House Apr 1, 2026

How they voted

33–0

Passed · 7 other

Total votes 40

May 13, 2026

D Democratic12

9 Yea 3

75% Yea

R Republican28

24 Yea 4

85% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

May 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 33 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

upper

May 5, 2026

Committee

Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

upper

May 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

Rules suspended. Recalled from Committee.

upper

Apr 14, 2026

Committee

Read by title. Recommitted to the Committee on Finance.

upper

Apr 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported favorably.

upper

Apr 1, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 93, nays 2. The bill, having received two-thirds vote of the elected members, was finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

lower

Mar 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported with amendments (9-0).

lower

Mar 9, 2026

Committee

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

lower

Jan 20, 2026

Committee

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

lower

1 primary · 22 co-sponsors