SB 49 Louisiana Senate · 2026 Regular Session

ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT: Removes the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education from the list of party primary elections. (8/1/26) (EG -$5,428,000 GF EX See Note)

SB 49 amends Louisiana election law to remove the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education from the list of offices elected in party primaries. This change specifically affects how the State Board of Education members are selected, ensuring they are no longer subject to party primary elections. The bill achieves this by revising the legal definition of "party primary office" in the state code, excluding the State Board of Education and the Public Service Commission from that category. The change is technical and procedural, not altering the election process for the board itself.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Feb 12, 2026 Last action Mar 25, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

SB49 Original → SB49 Engrossed · 1 edit · Mar 23, 2026

MINOR

This bill amends the Louisiana Revised Statutes to change the section number governing party primary elections from 18:2(12) to 18:2(9). The substantive content remains the same, as the list of offices included in these elections (such as state senators, representatives, and supreme court justices) was not altered. The change appears to be a technical correction to align the bill with the correct statutory citation.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's application to specific offices remains unchanged, but the legal citation referenced has been updated.

TECHNICAL

Updated the statutory citation from R.S. 18:2(12) to R.S. 18:2(9) in the act title, section header, and definitions.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 23, 2026

How they voted

36–0

Passed · 3 other

Total votes 39

Mar 23, 2026

D Democratic11

10 Yea 1

90% 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

Mar 25, 2026

Committee

Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs.

lower

Mar 23, 2026

Upper · Passed

Read by title, passed by a vote of 35 yeas and 0 nays, and sent to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

upper

Mar 11, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported with amendments.

upper

Mar 9, 2026

Committee

Introduced in the Senate; read by title. Rules suspended. Read second time and referred to the Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs.

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors