HEALTH/MEDICAL TREATMENT: Provides relative to expedited partner therapy (EN SEE FISC NOTE GF EX See Note)
HB 779 allows Louisiana doctors, nurses, and physician assistants to prescribe antibiotics to a patient’s sexual partner for certain sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like chlamydia, gonorrhea, or trichomoniasis - without requiring a direct exam or doctor-patient relationship with the partner. It requires providers to give the patient a written document to share with their partner, detailing the prescribed treatment. The bill also grants legal protection to healthcare providers who follow these guidelines in good faith. This policy directly affects patients diagnosed with eligible STIs and their partners, aiming to improve treatment access while reducing infection spread.
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
May 2026
Introduced Feb 27, 2026
Signed May 29, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons
What changed between versions
HB779 Original
→
HB779 Act 567
·
4 edits
MODERATE
This bill updates the list of infections eligible for expedited partner therapy to include trichomoniasis and other infections approved by the Department of Health, beyond just gonorrhea and chlamydia. It also clarifies that healthcare providers and pharmacists acting in good faith are protected from liability when dispensing these treatments without a full clinical assessment. Additionally, the bill adds a new requirement for the Department of Health to maintain an official list of eligible infections.
Scope change
The bill expands the scope of the program to cover a broader range of sexually transmitted infections and clarifies the legal protections for providers.
ELIGIBILITY
Expanded eligible conditions to include trichomoniasis and other sexually associated infections determined by the Department of Health.
Corrected a repetitive error in the text regarding the list of infections in Section B.
REQUIREMENT
Added a mandate for the Louisiana Department of Health to create and maintain a list of sexually associated infections eligible for expedited partner therapy.
TECHNICAL
Updated bill metadata to reflect co-sponsorship and final enactment status.
Floor votes · Senate May 21, 2026 · House Mar 25, 2026
How they voted
36–0
Passed · 4 other
Total votes 40
May 21, 2026
D
Democratic12
91% Yea
R
Republican28
89% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
20
Key actions
4
Committee
5
May 21, 2026
Upper · Passed
Rules suspended. 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 14, 2026
Committee
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
upper
May 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably.
upper
Mar 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 99, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
lower
Mar 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported with amendments (11-0).
lower
Mar 9, 2026
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.
lower
Feb 27, 2026
Committee
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.
lower
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
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