CRIMINAL/SENTENCING: Provides relative to the time period between conviction and sentencing (EN DECREASE LF EX See Note)
HB 289 sets a minimum three-day waiting period between a felony conviction and sentencing in Louisiana courts. It requires courts to delay sentencing for at least 24 hours after denying a motion for a new trial or arrest of judgment. Defendants may waive this waiting period by pleading guilty or expressly agreeing to immediate sentencing. The bill directly affects felony defendants in Louisiana criminal cases by standardizing timing between conviction and sentencing. It does not change sentencing guidelines or penalties, only the procedural timeline.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
May 2026
House Passage
May 2026
Senate Passage
May 2026
Signed into Law
Jun 2026
Introduced Feb 24, 2026
Signed Jun 2, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons
What changed between versions
Senate Floor Bureau Note, #4143, Morris, Jay, Adopted
→
HB289 Act 634
·
3 edits
MINOR
The bill was converted from a Senate floor amendment document into an enrolled Act (Act No. 634), formalizing its passage. The substantive policy change adds a mandatory three-day waiting period between a felony conviction and sentencing to allow time for appeals, while permitting immediate sentencing if the defendant waives this right or pleads guilty.
Scope change
The bill applies to all felony convictions in Louisiana, establishing a new procedural timeline for sentencing.
TIMELINE
Established a mandatory minimum three-day delay between a felony conviction and the imposition of sentence.
REQUIREMENT
Added a requirement that sentencing cannot occur until at least 24 hours after a motion for a new trial or in arrest of judgment is overruled.
EXCEPTIONS
Created exceptions allowing immediate sentencing if the defendant expressly waives the delay or enters a guilty plea.
Floor votes · Senate May 26, 2026 · House Apr 1, 2026
How they voted
37–0
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 40
May 26, 2026
D
Democratic12
83% Yea
R
Republican28
96% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
28
Key actions
5
Committee
5
May 29, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read by title, roll called, yeas 97, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.
lower
May 26, 2026
Upper · Passed
Rules suspended. Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 36 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
upper
May 20, 2026
Committee
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
upper
May 19, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably.
upper
Apr 1, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 95, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
lower
Mar 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably (9-0).
lower
Mar 9, 2026
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
lower
Feb 24, 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
Peter Egan
RRepublican
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