HB 297 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

LEASES: Expands early lease termination to include stalking and cyberstalking

HB 297 expands Louisiana tenants' right to early lease termination to include victims of stalking and cyberstalking, in addition to domestic abuse. It directly affects residential tenants who are victims of these crimes and need to leave their rental properties for safety. The bill requires tenants to provide documentation from a qualified third party (like a social worker, police officer, or prosecutor) and complete a specific certification form detailing the incident and why remaining on the premises is unsafe. This creates a formal process for tenants to terminate leases early without penalty, while requiring lessors to follow defined procedures for approval.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
May 2026
Signed into Law
May 2026
Introduced Feb 24, 2026 Signed May 11, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB297 Original HB297 Act · 2 edits
MINOR
The bill was finalized into an enrolled Act, updating the official title and adding the full list of sponsoring representatives. A minor technical correction was made to the statute citation for cyberstalking, changing the reference from '14:40.3' to '40.3' to align with the current statutory format. The substantive policy regarding early lease termination for victims of domestic abuse, stalking, and cyberstalking remains unchanged.
Scope change
The bill's scope and applicability remain the same; it continues to allow lessees to terminate leases early if they are victims of domestic abuse, stalking, or cyberstalking.
TECHNICAL

Corrected a citation error in the text, changing the reference for cyberstalking from 'R.S. 14:40.3' to 'R.S. 40.3' to match the official statute numbering.

Updated the document header to reflect the bill's final status as 'ENROLLED ACT No. 64' and added the complete list of co-sponsors.

Floor votes · Senate May 6, 2026 · House Mar 26, 2026

How they voted

370
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 40
May 6, 2026
D Democratic12
10 Yea 2
83% Yea
R Republican28
27 Yea 1
96% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
20
Key actions
4
Committee
5
May 6, 2026
Upper · Passed
Read by title, passed by a vote of 36 yeas and 0 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
Mar 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 88, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
lower
Mar 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably (7-0-1).
lower
Mar 9, 2026
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.
lower
Feb 24, 2026
Committee
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.
lower
1 primary · 19 co-sponsors

Sponsors