BATON ROUGE, La. — The Louisiana legislative session of 2025 wrapped up on Thursday with moments of high tension and significant developments. Despite the session’s conclusion, Governor Jeff Landry announced plans for a special session, aiming to reignite discussions on contentious legislation that was shelved at the last minute. While exact timelines remain uncertain, lawmakers are expected to reconvene soon.
The session’s climax saw heated debates over amendments to a particular bill. This bill aimed to prevent companies from simultaneously owning both pharmacy benefits managers and drugstores, sparking tense exchanges and fervent lobbying efforts, notably involving retail giant CVS. The proposed legislation faced fierce opposition, and threats of legal challenges from the Attorney General loomed as a result.
In the session’s closing hours, legislators approved a $51 billion state budget. Allocations included $1.8 million for recapturing escaped inmates, following a significant New Orleans jail break, and $1.2 billion shifted from a state savings fund to bolster infrastructure and attract private investments. However, Governor Landry saw his aspirations to expand a school voucher program dashed, as lawmakers allocated less than half of the requested $93.5 million.
Although the session traditionally emphasizes fiscal issues, the Republican-majority legislature introduced numerous bills encompassing social and ethical matters concerning the state’s welfare.
**Passed Legislation:**
– **ABORTION LIABILITY EXPANSION:** Aimed at extending legal culpability for abortions, this measure targets out-of-state medical professionals and activists who facilitate the distribution of pregnancy-ending drugs to Louisiana residents, where abortion restrictions are stringent.
– **MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN:** This package of nutrition reforms aims to elevate dietary standards by imposing restrictions on school food additives, enhancing nutrition education for healthcare providers, mandating ingredient transparency from food manufacturers, and requiring restaurants to disclose seed oil use.
– **INSURANCE:** Despite considerable resistance, Landry successfully pushed through legislation enhancing the insurance commissioner’s authority over auto insurance rate hikes, along with other measures limiting compensations following vehicle accidents.
– **IMMIGRATION:** New legislation expands Louisiana’s cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, criminalizing the obstruction of such efforts by local officials, while establishing requirements for state agencies to report illegal immigrants accessing state services.
– **ETHICS:** A bill proposed by the governor’s attorney was approved, introducing stricter conditions for the state’s ethics board in investigating officials and filing charges of misconduct.
– **IVF TREATMENT:** To prevent scenarios similar to Alabama, lawmakers passed protections for in vitro fertilization providers from criminal liabilities.
– **CAMPAIGN FUNDING:** Adjustments were made to campaign finance laws, increasing thresholds for disclosure, consequently reducing public visibility into campaign donations and spending. Campaign fund usage now includes celebrations like Mardi Gras in Washington, D.C.
– **IVERMECTIN:** A new law permits the sale of this drug, previously promoted as a COVID-19 remedy but subsequently discredited, for over-the-counter purchases.
– **WEATHER MODIFICATION:** Restrictions were implemented against deliberately dispersing chemicals in the atmosphere intended to alter weather, climate conditions, or sunlight levels.
**Rejected Legislation:**
– **DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION:** Efforts to ban DEI programs in state government were stalled following intense debates in the Senate.
– **SPLIT JURY:** A proposal to allow new trials for those convicted under the defunct split-jury system was blocked by Republicans.
– **MINIMUM WAGE:** A bill intending to incrementally raise the state minimum wage from $7.25 over four years was once again rejected.
– **ABORTION BAN EXCEPTIONS:** For a third consecutive year, proposals to include rape (for victims under 17) as an exception to the state’s abortion ban were turned down.
– **LGBTQ WORKPLACE PROTECTIONS:** An attempt to ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity failed to pass committee scrutiny.
– **FLUORIDE BILL:** Legislation to eliminate fluoride from public water systems did not progress.