HCR 61 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

PROPERTY: Authorizes and directs the Louisiana State Law Institute to study the constitutional authority to expropriate property

This bill directs the Louisiana Law Institute to conduct a study on the state's constitutional authority to expropriate private property under specific circumstances. The legislation aims to examine potential conflicts between existing laws, such as the Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide Act, and the state constitution regarding property taking. By analyzing these legal frameworks, the bill seeks to clarify the rules governing the government's power to acquire land for public use. This initiative directly affects property owners and government entities involved in land acquisition processes.

Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Apr 2026

Committee Review

May 2026

House Passage

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

May 2026

Governor

Introduced Apr 16, 2026 Last action May 21, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

HCR61 Enrolled → HCR61 Original · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was reorganized to clarify its focus on the Louisiana Geologic Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide Act. The primary substantive change is the addition of a specific requirement for the State Law Institute to evaluate whether current eminent domain laws should be repealed, amended, or replaced to fix constitutional vulnerabilities. The bill also updated the legal citations to reflect the most recent changes to the carbon sequestration statute.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed and clarified to explicitly link the study to the Louisiana Geologic Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide Act, rather than just general expropriation authority.

REQUIREMENT

Added a specific directive for the State Law Institute to evaluate the advisability of repealing, amending, or replacing existing eminent domain provisions to eliminate constitutional risks.

SCOPE

Updated the title and text to explicitly reference the Louisiana Geologic Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide Act and its specific statutory sections.

TECHNICAL

Reorganized the text structure and updated legal citations to reflect the renumbering of the relevant statute from R.S. 19:2(12) to R.S. 19:2(11).

Floor votes · Senate May 13, 2026 · House Apr 27, 2026

How they voted

37–0

Passed · 3 other

Total votes 40

May 13, 2026

D Democratic12

11 Yea 1

91% Yea

R Republican28

26 Yea 2

92% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

May 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Read by title and concurred in by a vote of 36 yeas and 0 nays. Ordered returned to the House.

upper

May 12, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported favorably.

upper

Apr 27, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read by title, amended, roll called on final consideration, yeas 101, nays 0. The resolution was adopted and ordered to the Senate.

lower

Apr 22, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported favorably (7-0).

lower

Apr 20, 2026

Committee

Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors