PUBLIC MEETINGS: Provides for the method of voting in public meetings
HB 73 amends Louisiana law to allow public bodies (like city councils, school boards, and parish commissions) to use electronic voting machines for recording votes during public meetings. The bill requires that any electronic voting system must publicly display each member's vote in real time, while maintaining the existing requirement for voice votes to be recorded in public minutes. It applies only to future meetings and does not affect ongoing legal cases. This change standardizes voting methods for transparency but does not alter the substance of legislative decisions.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Feb 3, 2026
Last action May 11, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
HB73 Original
→
HB73 Engrossed
·
2 edits
·
Apr 8, 2026
MINOR
The bill text was updated from its original version to the engrossed version, reflecting final legislative approval. The substantive content, including the authorization for electronic voting in public meetings, remains unchanged. The primary differences are formatting updates, such as changing the title from 'Original' to 'Engrossed' and adjusting the coding instructions to reflect the final state of the law.
TECHNICAL
Updated the document title and coding instructions to indicate the bill is in its final 'Engrossed' form rather than the 'Original' draft.
Adjusted the header layout to align the 'Engrossed' status with the bill number and digest section.
Floor votes · House Apr 8, 2026
How they voted
87–0
Passed · 18 other
Total votes 105
Apr 8, 2026
D
Democratic33
78% Yea
R
Republican72
84% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
14
Key actions
3
Committee
5
Apr 29, 2026
Committee
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
upper
Apr 28, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably.
upper
Apr 8, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 88, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
lower
Mar 31, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably (11-0).
lower
Mar 9, 2026
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs.
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Committee
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs.
lower
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
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