HB 284 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

PROPERTY/EXPROPRIATION: Authorizes certain parishes and municipalities to expropriate blighted property by declaration of taking

HB 284 authorizes Louisiana parishes and municipalities with populations under 50,000 to acquire abandoned or blighted properties through a streamlined process. Local governments must provide 15 days' notice to owners and deposit an appraised value into court before taking possession, rather than waiting for final court approval. The law defines "abandoned property" as vacant/unsecured or unsafe structures and "blighted property" as those declared hazardous by officials. Its purpose is to revitalize deteriorated areas by rehabilitating properties and returning them to economic use.

Issues: ✓ Housing

Bill status in committee 2 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House Failed

Apr 2026

Governor

Introduced Feb 23, 2026 Last action May 6, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

HB284 Original → HB284 Engrossed · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was reorganized and expanded to broaden the definition of 'abandoned' and 'blighted' properties, allowing authorities to act on a wider range of conditions beyond just vacancy. The text was restructured to explicitly state that these actions serve a public purpose to protect health and safety, while clarifying that the new procedures do not limit existing legal options.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include properties deemed hazardous, uninhabitable, or public nuisances under various state and local laws, not just those physically vacant.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'abandoned property' was split into specific conditions (a through vi), including lack of utilities, unsecured entry, and public nuisance status, rather than a single vacancy clause.

A new definition for 'blighted property' was added, covering conditions like environmental hazards, unsafe structures, and decay that threaten public welfare or economic stability.

REQUIREMENT

The legislative intent was clarified to explicitly state that the provisions serve a public purpose to protect health, safety, and welfare, in addition to revitalizing depressed areas.

TECHNICAL

The document was renumbered from 9 pages to 11 pages, indicating a significant restructuring and addition of content to the bill text.

Floor votes · House Apr 14, 2026

How they voted

48–48

Failed · 9 other

Total votes 105

Apr 14, 2026

D Democratic33

13 Yea 17 Nay 3

51% Nay

R Republican72

35 Yea 31 Nay 6

48% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

May 6, 2026

Introduced

Read by title, amended, returned to the calendar.

lower

Apr 14, 2026

Vote failed

House Vote: fail (48-48-9)

house

Apr 1, 2026

Introduced

Read by title, amended, returned to the calendar.

lower

Mar 23, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported with amendments (7-0).

lower

Mar 9, 2026

Committee

Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.

lower

Feb 23, 2026

Committee

Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors