HB 944 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

HEALTH SERVICES: Creates the Louisiana Women's Health Consortium (EN NO IMPACT See Note)

HB 944 creates the Louisiana Women's Health Consortium within the Louisiana Department of Health to address women's health needs across the state. The consortium will include 15 voting members representing health institutions (like Tulane School of Medicine and Woman's Hospital), government agencies (such as the surgeon general's office), and community stakeholders, plus nonvoting members from additional health organizations. Its core duties include developing a state funding plan for women's health initiatives, creating a comprehensive Women's Health Agenda focusing on issues like perimenopause and menopause, and identifying systemic barriers to care. The consortium must hold quarterly public meetings, submit an annual report to the legislature, and coordinate an online resource hub for evidence-based women's health information.

Issues: ✓ Healthcare

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 9, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB944 Original → HB944 Act 855 · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to expand the Women's Health Consortium by adding new voting members representing the Louisiana Legislature, the Secretary of Louisiana Works, the Commissioner of Insurance, and two new healthcare provider categories (functional medicine and rural practitioners). Additionally, the bill's statutory citation was updated from the Department of Health to a new section in the Louisiana Revised Statutes, and the requirement for an annual report was simplified to a general reporting requirement with a new effective and termination date provision.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include legislative representatives and additional state officials as voting members, broadening the consortium's composition beyond health professionals and hospital administrators.

ELIGIBILITY

Added seven new voting members: two legislative representatives (one from the House and one from the Senate), the Secretary of Louisiana Works, the Commissioner of Insurance, a rural nurse practitioner or physician assistant, an epidemiologist or health statistician, and a functional medicine or integrative medicine provider.

Added non-voting members representing Xavier University of Louisiana College of Pharmacy, University of Louisiana at Monroe College of Pharmacy, Our Lady of the Lake Health, and the Louisiana Hospital Association.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the requirement from an 'annual report' to a general 'report' and added provisions for an effective date and termination date.

Added a requirement for participating departments to provide reasonable administrative assistance and staff support based on available resources.

DEFINITION

Updated the statutory citation from R.S. 40:1122 to R.S. 46:2527 and changed the name from 'Women's Consortium' to 'Women's Health Consortium'.

Floor votes · Senate May 29, 2026 · House May 13, 2026

How they voted

38–0

Passed · 2 other

Total votes 40

May 29, 2026

D Democratic12

11 Yea 1

91% 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 31, 2026

Lower · Passed

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

lower

May 29, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 37 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

upper

May 28, 2026

Committee

Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

upper

May 28, 2026

Upper · Passed

Rules suspended. Recalled from Committee.

upper

May 25, 2026

Committee

Read by title. Recommitted to the Committee on Finance.

upper

May 21, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported favorably.

upper

May 20, 2026

Committee

Read by title. Recommitted to the Committee on Education.

upper

May 20, 2026

Upper · Passed

Rules suspended. Recalled from Committee.

upper

May 13, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 87, nays 3. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

lower

May 11, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported favorably (14-0).

lower

Apr 7, 2026

Committee

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

lower

Apr 1, 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 · 20 co-sponsors