CRIMINAL/VICTIMS: Provides relative to the examination and medical care of victims of human trafficking-related offenses and domestic violence offenses involving strangulation (EG INCREASE SD EX See Note)
This bill expands Louisiana's existing forensic medical examination requirements to include victims of human trafficking and domestic violence involving strangulation, alongside current protections for sexual assault victims. It mandates that healthcare providers offer these specialized examinations to survivors, which include physical trauma assessments, patient interviews documenting abuse history and strangulation incidents, and collection of forensic evidence such as biological specimens and photographic documentation. The legislation also requires that examinations occur in private spaces with access to victim advocates, and it updates statutory definitions to clarify which offenses qualify for these protections. Healthcare facilities must follow specific procedures for treating survivors, including mandatory reporting for minors and provisions for emergency medical care and evidence preservation.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Mar 23, 2026
Last action May 26, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
HB998 Original
→
HB998 Engrossed
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4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to remove 'human trafficking-related offenses' from the scope of forensic medical examinations and the definition of domestic violence, focusing the law solely on sexual assault and domestic violence involving strangulation. This change narrows the bill's applicability by excluding human trafficking cases from the specific forensic protocols and victim support provisions outlined in the text.
Scope change
The bill's scope was narrowed by removing human trafficking-related offenses from the list of crimes requiring specific forensic medical examinations and from the definition of domestic violence.
SCOPE
Removed references to 'human trafficking-related offenses' from the description of offenses requiring forensic medical examinations.
Revised the bill's purpose statement to focus exclusively on domestic violence and sexual assault, removing human trafficking from the legislative intent.
DEFINITION
Updated the definition of 'forensic medical examination' to apply only to victims of sexually oriented criminal offenses and domestic violence involving strangulation, excluding human trafficking.
Removed 'human trafficking-related offense' from the list of acts constituting domestic violence.
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
40
Key actions
1
Committee
2
Apr 28, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported with amendments (10-0).
lower
Mar 24, 2026
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
lower
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
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