2025 LA Legislative Scorecard

HB289 expands liability protections to include firearm and ammunition manufacturers, distributors, and sellers. It removes federal compliance requirements, clarifies that normal firearm or ammunition use is not a product defect, and bars government entities from suing over their lawful design, sale, or marketing. Courts must award attorney fees, court costs, and related expenses to defendants if such lawsuits are improperly filed.

The Louisiana State Senate passed HB289 on June 2, 2025 by a vote of 27 to 9. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because this bill correctly places liability on those who commit crimes, not on manufacturers whose products are lawfully made and sold. HB289 shields firearm and ammunition producers from abusive lawsuits designed to bankrupt the industry and effectively nullify the Second Amendment through the courts. Protecting lawful commerce in arms is essential to preserving the God-given rights referenced in the Declaration of Independence—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—and safeguarding the constitutionally protected right of the people to keep and bear arms. HB289 reinforces that government may not punish manufacturers for the criminal misuse of products by others.

HB425 strengthens laws against coercing abortions. It adds to the crime of extortion any threat made to compel a pregnant woman to have an abortion. It also updates the crime of coerced abortion to apply when someone knowingly uses or threatens physical force, control, or intimidation—including assault, battery, kidnapping, false imprisonment, or extortion—to pressure a woman into an abortion against her will. The penalty remains a fine of up to $5,000 and imprisonment up to five years, with or without hard labor.

The Louisiana State Senate passed HB425 on June 8, 2025 by a vote of 30 to 7. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because this bill protects both mothers and their preborn children from violent pressure to end an innocent life. Coercion to commit an abortion is rightly treated as a grave offense, because abortion itself is the deliberate taking of a human life. The care of human life—not its destruction—is the first duty of civil government, and the right to life is the most fundamental, God-given, and “unalienable” right referenced in the Declaration of Independence. While Louisiana should ultimately work to abolish abortion entirely, HB425 represents a meaningful step toward protecting the innocent and upholding the rule of law.

HB695 updates state law to recognize as legal tender any gold or silver coin, specie, or bullion recognized by the U.S. government, as well as gold-backed debit instruments that can convert gold stored in a depository into regular (fiat) currency.

The Louisiana State Senate passed HB695 on June 9, 2025 by a vote of 39 to 0. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because this bill is an important step toward restoring sound, constitutional money and reestablishing the role of gold and silver as legal tender, in accordance with Article I, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution.

HB554 prohibits the Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) from issuing driver’s licenses or state IDs to non-U.S. citizens or lawful noncitizen residents unless the credential includes a restriction code marking their status. The OMV must mail these individuals a multilingual notice explaining that noncitizens are prohibited from registering or voting in Louisiana and that doing so is a felony. The OMV must keep records of all noncitizens who receive the notice and share that data monthly with the secretary of state for voter-list maintenance.

The Louisiana State Senate passed HB554 on June 9, 2025 by a vote of 28 to 11. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because persons unlawfully present in the United States ought not to be permitted sanctuary or residency in Louisiana, let alone be considered eligible for a state-issued form of identification or license. Rather than pursue blatantly unconstitutional and anti-American policies that undermine the rule of law and erode the value of citizenship, each of the several states should use its powers reserved under the 10th Amendment to end the illegal-migrant invasion and provide for the public safety. 

SB8 proposes a constitutional amendment to allow the Louisiana Legislature—rather than only the State Civil Service Commission—to add certain state civil-service positions from the unclassified service, and give it sole authority to remove such positions. Currently, only commissions can make such changes through rules. If approved by voters, this amendment would give lawmakers direct authority over which state officers, employees, or positions are exempt from civil-service protections. The proposal will appear on the April 18, 2026, statewide ballot (or November 3, 2026, if HB 625 from the same session does not take effect).

The Louisiana State Senate passed SB8 on June 11, 2025 by a vote of 28 to 9. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because the amendment reins in the improper delegation of legislative authority to unelected bureaucrats and unconstitutional civil-service commissions. SB8 would restore to the Legislature the power to determine which positions are included in or exempt from the classified service—a power that belongs with elected representatives, not autonomous administrative bodies. By reclaiming this authority, the bill strengthens accountability, curbs bureaucratic overreach, and helps restore a republican form of government guaranteed by Article IV, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution.