HB 445 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

EDUCATION: Provides relative to the Louisiana Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Advisory Council (EN SEE FISC NOTE GF EX See Note)

HB 445 transfers Louisiana's STEM Advisory Council from the Department of Education to Louisiana Works and redefines its responsibilities. The bill requires the council to create a statewide STEM education plan, coordinate programs with workforce needs, encourage industry funding, and establish a resource clearinghouse. It creates a dedicated STEM Education Fund to support student-focused programs (including robotics competitions via FIRST) from pre-K through college, funded by legislative appropriations and private donations. The council must submit annual reports to education committees and meet quarterly, with members able to participate electronically. This bill directly affects STEM education programs, schools, and industry partners across Louisiana.

Issues: ✓ Education ✓ Technology

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

May 2026

Introduced Feb 26, 2026 Signed May 29, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB445 Original → HB445 Act 433 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill was enrolled and expanded to include additional sponsors, streamlining the STEM Advisory Council's operations by changing meeting frequency from monthly to quarterly, and clarifying the council's leadership structure. It also updated the council's duties to emphasize workforce alignment and added specific provisions for a robotics competition program.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include new sponsors and clarified the council's operational requirements and reporting obligations.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the council's meeting schedule from monthly to quarterly starting in 2018 to reduce administrative burden.

Updated the vice chairmanship rotation to alternate triennially among the superintendents of education, economic development, and Louisiana Works.

Added a specific mandate to establish a competitive grants program for robotics competitions to improve student STEM skills.

Expanded reporting requirements to include specific metrics for measuring the success of council activities.

SCOPE

Increased the number of bill sponsors from one representative to thirteen representatives.

Floor votes · Senate May 12, 2026 · House Apr 13, 2026

How they voted

35–0

Passed · 5 other

Total votes 40

May 12, 2026

D Democratic12

9 Yea 3

75% Yea

R Republican28

26 Yea 2

92% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

May 20, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read by title, roll called, yeas 92, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.

lower

May 12, 2026

Upper · Passed

Rules suspended. The amended bill was read by title, passed by a vote of 34 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

upper

May 4, 2026

Committee

Committee amendments read and adopted. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

upper

Apr 29, 2026

Upper · Passed

Rules suspended. Reported with amendments.

upper

Apr 13, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 96, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

lower

Apr 7, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported favorably (17-0).

lower

Mar 25, 2026

Committee

Read by title, ordered engrossed, recommitted to the Committee on Appropriations.

lower

Mar 24, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported favorably (13-0. To be recommitted to the Committee on Appropriations.

lower

Mar 9, 2026

Committee

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

lower

Feb 26, 2026

Committee

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

lower

1 primary · 12 co-sponsors