HB 797 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

BANKS/BANKING: Creates the Bayou Gold Program (EN INCREASE SG EX See Note)

HB 797 creates Louisiana's "Bayou Gold Program," which establishes a certification system for businesses offering gold- and silver-backed financial services. To qualify, businesses must store allocated precious metals (100% backed by physical metal held separately from their assets) in compliant depositories, allow physical redemption within five days, and maintain strict ownership transparency. The Louisiana Department of the Treasury will administer the program, maintain a public registry of certified businesses, and enforce penalties for false claims. The bill explicitly states it does not create state guarantees or operate a government-run financial system.

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 · 5 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB797 Original → HB797 Act 841 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was updated from a draft version to its final enacted form (Act No. 841), changing the referenced statute from R.S. 6:342 to R.S. 51:3301 within Chapter 70 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes. The substantive policy language regarding the Bayou Gold Program, including definitions, eligibility criteria, and departmental duties, remains identical between the two versions.

Scope change

The bill's scope was technically adjusted by reassigning the new program from the Commercial Code (R.S. 6) to the Department of the Treasury's specific statutes (R.S. 51), but the operational rules and applicability of the program are unchanged.

TECHNICAL

The specific statute number changed from R.S. 6:342 to R.S. 51:3301 to align the new program with the Department of the Treasury's existing statutory framework.

The document title was updated to reflect the final enacted status as 'Act No. 841' and the page count was corrected from 6 to 5 pages.

Minor formatting adjustments were made to the definitions section, such as changing 'Section' to 'Chapter' in the introductory text and standardizing the list numbering.

Floor votes · Senate May 28, 2026 · House Apr 27, 2026

How they voted

26–2

Passed · 12 other

Total votes 40

May 28, 2026

D Democratic12

8 Yea 4

66% Yea

R Republican28

18 Yea 2 Nay 8

64% 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 97, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.

lower

May 28, 2026

Upper · Passed

The amended bill was read by title, passed by a vote of 26 yeas and 2 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

upper

May 27, 2026

Upper · Passed

Rules suspended. Reported with amendments. Rules suspended. Committee amendments read and adopted. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

upper

May 21, 2026

Committee

Read by title. Recommitted to the Committee on Finance.

upper

May 20, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported favorably.

upper

Apr 27, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 101, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

lower

Apr 21, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported with amendments (16-0).

lower

Mar 18, 2026

Committee

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

lower

Mar 17, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported with amendments (14-0).

lower

Mar 9, 2026

Committee

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

lower

Feb 27, 2026

Committee

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

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors