HB 624 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

SCHOOLS: Provides relative to emergency operations plans at public schools

HB 624 revises Louisiana's requirements for public school emergency operations plans. It mandates that each school principal, working with local law enforcement and a district safety team (including mental health professionals and school resource officers), develop plans covering all emergencies - including active shooter scenarios - and conduct annual safety drills during high-traffic school periods. The bill requires schools to report annually on plan compliance and emergency preparedness through state-mandated questionnaires, with high schools specifically including student representatives in plan reviews. These changes directly affect all Louisiana public schools, principals, and district safety teams by standardizing emergency planning, training, and reporting processes.

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 27, 2026 Signed Jun 8, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB624 Original → HB624 Act 821 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill updates the definition of the school safety team to include a broader range of roles, such as special education and technology representatives. It mandates that high school safety plans must include input from student representatives and requires superintendents to submit annual reports to the state. Additionally, the bill introduces a formal classification system for safety drills, distinguishing between discussion-based and operations-based exercises to improve training effectiveness.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of the safety team to include more specialized roles and extends the requirement for student input specifically to high schools during annual reviews.

DEFINITION

The definition of the 'District threat assessment safety and emergency team' was expanded to include representatives from special education, technology, and logistics, ensuring a more comprehensive approach to school safety planning.

REQUIREMENT

A new requirement mandates that when reviewing safety plans for high schools, principals must seek input from student representatives, such as the senior class or student council president.

The bill requires local superintendents to submit an annual report on the status of school safety plans to the state Department of Education and the Center for Safe Schools.

New definitions classify emergency preparedness activities into 'discussion-based exercises' (seminars and role reviews) and 'operations-based exercises' (physical drills), providing clearer guidance for training.

Floor votes · Senate May 26, 2026 · House Apr 29, 2026

How they voted

36–0

Passed · 4 other

Total votes 40

May 26, 2026

D Democratic12

9 Yea 3

75% Yea

R Republican28

27 Yea 1

96% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

May 29, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read by title, roll called, yeas 96, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.

lower

May 26, 2026

Upper · Passed

Rules suspended. The amended bill was read by title, passed by a vote of 35 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

upper

May 19, 2026

Committee

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

upper

May 18, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported with amendments.

upper

Apr 29, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 97, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

lower

Apr 23, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported favorably (14-0).

lower

Mar 9, 2026

Committee

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

lower

Feb 27, 2026

Committee

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

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors