HB 552 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

DWI: Provides relative to driving while intoxicated (EN NO IMPACT See Note)

HB 552 amends Louisiana's DWI laws to explicitly include "impaired" driving alongside "intoxicated" driving, expanding the scope of the offense to cover impairment from alcohol or drugs. It clarifies that city and municipal courts can handle first and second DWI offenses (with penalties matching state law), but third or subsequent offenses must be tried in district court with a jury. The bill also requires courts to assess additional costs when alcohol was a factor in any offense, and makes intoxilyzer test results automatically admissible as evidence in DWI cases. These changes directly affect drivers facing DWI charges, local courts handling such cases, and prosecutors presenting evidence.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
May 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
May 2026
Signed into Law
Jun 2026
Introduced Feb 26, 2026 Signed Jun 8, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 5 comparisons

What changed between versions

Senate Floor Bureau Note, #4067, Pressly, Adopted HB552 Act 812 · 4 edits
MODERATE
This bill updates Louisiana laws regarding driving while intoxicated or impaired to consistently include the term 'impaired' alongside 'intoxicated' across various statutes. The changes ensure that local courts (city, parish, and municipal) have clear jurisdiction over these offenses and that specific legal procedures, such as admissible evidence and responsive verdicts, explicitly cover impairment.
Scope change
The bill expands the scope of existing DUI laws by formally adding 'impaired' as a recognized state of operation alongside 'intoxicated' in multiple legal contexts, including local court prosecutions and criminal procedure verdicts.
ENFORCEMENT

Updated R.S. 13:1894.1 to clarify that prosecutions for driving while intoxicated or impaired in local courts must follow state law standards, and explicitly stated that mayors' courts have no jurisdiction over these charges.

Amended R.S. 32:662.1 to ensure that chemical test certificates (like breathalyzer results) are admissible as evidence whenever intoxication or impairment is an issue in criminal cases.

Revised Code of Criminal Procedure Article 814 to include 'operating a vehicle while intoxicated or impaired' as a specific responsive verdict option for negligent injuring charges.

DEFINITION

Consistently replaced or added the term 'impaired' to definitions of driving offenses throughout the bill to align legal terminology regarding substance-affected driving.

Floor votes · Senate May 21, 2026 · House Mar 25, 2026

How they voted

370
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 40
May 21, 2026
D Democratic12
11 Yea 1
91% Yea
R Republican28
26 Yea 2
92% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
34
Key actions
12
Committee
13
May 31, 2026
Lower · Passed
Notice of Senate adoption of Conference Committee Report.
lower
May 31, 2026
Upper · Passed
Conference Committee Report read; adopted by a vote of 35 yeas and 0 nays.
upper
May 31, 2026
Upper · Passed
Notice House adopted the Conference Committee Report.
upper
May 31, 2026
Lower · Passed
Conference Committee Report read, roll called, yeas 95, nays 0. The Conference Committee Report was adopted.
lower
May 29, 2026
Upper · Passed
Conference committee report received.
upper
May 29, 2026
Lower · Passed
Conference Committee report received. Lies over under the rules.
lower
May 28, 2026
Upper · Passed
Notice House Conference Committee members appointed.
upper
May 28, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate conference committee members appointed: Myers, Cloud, and Kleinpeter.
upper
May 21, 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 13, 2026
Committee
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
upper
May 12, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably.
upper
Mar 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 102, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
lower
Mar 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported with amendments (12-0).
lower
Mar 9, 2026
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
lower
Feb 26, 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
Photo of Marcus Bryant
Marcus Bryant
DDemocratic
LA
96