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HB112 • 2026

CHILDREN/CUSTODY: Specifies how miles are measured for the purpose of relocation of a child

CHILDREN/CUSTODY: Specifies how miles are measured for the purpose of relocation of a child

Children
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Mike Bayham
Last action
2026-05-22
Official status
Signed by the Governor - Act 287
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material did not provide specific details on exemptions for certain court orders and the handling of relocations under existing restraining orders or protective orders.

Measuring Miles for Child Relocation

This act changes how distances are measured when a parent wants to move with their child, using the shortest publicly accessible road or ferry route.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes how distances are calculated for moving children in custody cases.
  • Requires measuring distance by the shortest publicly accessible motor vehicle route or public ferry.
  • Does not apply if there is an existing agreement between parents about relocation.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Parents who want to move with their children and have custody agreements.
  • Courts that handle child custody cases.

Terms To Know

Relocation
Moving a child's main home to another place, often far away from the other parent.
Publicly accessible route
A road or path that anyone can use without special permission.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not apply to cases where parents already have a written agreement about moving.
  • The act only applies after January 1, 2027.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Plain English: The amendment specifies that when measuring miles for relocating a child, only publicly accessible routes by motor vehicle or public ferry should be used.

  • Defines the measurement of miles for relocation purposes as the shortest distance using publicly accessible roads or ferries.
  • Sets an effective date of January 1, 2027, for new cases not pending before this date.
  • The amendment text does not provide details on how to handle situations where public ferry access is limited or unavailable.

Plain English: 2026 Regular Session Sequence: 1230 HBS AMENDED BY SENATE TO BE CONCURRED IN HB 112 BY BAYHAM CONCUR IN SENATE AMENDMENTS Date: 5/13/2026 Time: 2:28:39 PM ROLL CALL The roll was called with the following result: YEAS Mr.

  • 2026 Regular Session Sequence: 1230 HBS AMENDED BY SENATE TO BE CONCURRED IN HB 112 BY BAYHAM CONCUR IN SENATE AMENDMENTS Date: 5/13/2026 Time: 2:28:39 PM ROLL CALL The roll was called with the following result: YEAS Mr.
  • Speaker Adams Amedee Bacala Bagley Bamburg Bayham Beaullieu Berault Billings Boudreaux Bourriaque Boyd Boyer Brass Braud Broussard Bryant Butler Carrier Carter, R.
  • Carter, W.
  • Carver Chassion Chenevert Coates Cox Crews Deshotel Dewitt Dickerson Domangue Edmonston Egan Farnum Firment Fisher Fontenot Freiberg Gadberry Galle Geymann Glorioso Green Hebert Henry, C.

Plain English: SFAHB112 2810 3420 SENATE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senator Miller to Engrossed House Bill No.

  • SFAHB112 2810 3420 SENATE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senator Miller to Engrossed House Bill No.
  • 112 by Representative Bayham 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 3, delete line 7, and insert "distance that is publicly accessible by motor vehicle or 3 by a public ferry, where applicable, from the principal residence of a child to the new" Page 1 of 1

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-22 H

    Effective date: 01/01/2027.

  2. 2026-05-22 H

    Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 287.

  3. 2026-05-19 H

    Sent to the Governor for executive approval.

  4. 2026-05-18 S

    Signed by the President of the Senate.

  5. 2026-05-18 H

    Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.

  6. 2026-05-13 H

    Read by title, roll called, yeas 97, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.

  7. 2026-05-12 H

    Scheduled for concurrence on 05/13/2026.

  8. 2026-05-12 H

    Received from the Senate with amendments.

  9. 2026-05-11 S

    Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 35 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  10. 2026-05-04 S

    Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.

  11. 2026-04-29 S

    Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  12. 2026-04-28 S

    Reported favorably.

  13. 2026-03-23 S

    Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary A.

  14. 2026-03-18 S

    Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.

  15. 2026-03-18 H

    Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 95, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

  16. 2026-03-18 H

    Called from the calendar.

  17. 2026-03-17 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 03/18/2026.

  18. 2026-03-17 H

    Notice given.

  19. 2026-03-17 H

    Read by title, returned to the calendar.

  20. 2026-03-16 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 03/17/2026.

  21. 2026-03-11 H

    Read by title, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.

  22. 2026-03-10 H

    Reported favorably (8-0).

  23. 2026-03-09 H

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

  24. 2026-02-13 H

    First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/13/2026.

  25. 2026-02-10 H

    Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.

  26. 2026-02-10 H

    Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

CHILDREN/CUSTODY: Specifies how miles are measured for the purpose of relocation of a child

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
ENROLLED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 112
BY REPRESENTATIVES BAYHAM, ADAMS, AMEDEE, BAGLEY, BILLINGS,
CHASSION, CREWS, FISHER, GREEN, JACKSON, TERRY LANDRY,
LARVADAIN, MENA, MILLER, MURRAY, NEWELL, SPELL, TAYLOR, AND
WALTERS
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 9:355.2, relative to the relocation of a child; to specify how miles
3 are measured for relocation of a child; to provide for technical changes; to provide
4 for applicability; to provide for an effective date; and to provide for related matters.
5 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
6 Section 1. R.S. 9:355.2 is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
7 §355.2. Applicability
8 A. This Subpart shall apply to an order regarding custody of or visitation
9 with a child issued:
10 (1) On or after August 15, 1997.
11 (2) Before August 15, 1997, if the existing custody order does not expressly
12 govern the relocation of the child.
13 B. A. This Subpart shall apply applies to a proposed relocation when any of
14 the following exist:
15 (1) There is intent to establish the principal residence of a child at any
16 location outside the this state.
17 (2) There is no court order awarding custody and there is an intent to
18 establish the principal residence of a child at any location within the this state that
19 is at a distance of more than seventy-five miles from the domicile of the other parent.
20 (3) There is a court order awarding custody and there is an intent to establish
21 the principal residence of a child at any location within the this state that is at a
Page 1 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 112 ENROLLED
1 distance of more than seventy-five miles from the principal residence of the child at
2 the time that the most recent custody decree was rendered.
3 (4) If either no principal residence of a child has been designated by the
4 court or the parties have equal physical custody, and there is an intent to establish the
5 principal residence of a child at any location within the this state that is at a distance
6 of more than seventy-five miles from the domicile of a person entitled to object to
7 relocation.
8 C. B. To the extent that this Subpart conflicts with an existing custody order,
9 this Subpart shall not apply to the terms of that order that govern relocation.
10 D. C. This Subpart shall not apply when either of the following
11 circumstances exist:
12 (1) The persons required to give notice of and the persons entitled to object
13 to a proposed relocation have entered into an express written agreement for the
14 relocation of the principal residence of the child.
15 (2) There is in effect an order issued pursuant to Domestic Abuse Assistance,
16 R.S. 46:2131, et seq., Protection from Dating Violence, R.S. 46:2151, Part II of
17 Chapter 28 of Title 46 or the Post-Separation Family Violence Relief Act or
18 Injunctions and Incidental Orders, Parts IV and V of Chapter 1 of Code Title V of
19 Code Book I of Title 9, except R.S. 9:372.1, all of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of
20 1950, Domestic Abuse Assistance, Chapter 8 of Title XV of the Children's Code, or
21 any other restraining order, preliminary injunction, permanent injunction, or any
22 protective order prohibiting a person from harming or going near or in the proximity
23 of the other person. any of the following:
24 (a) Part II of Chapter 28 of Title 46 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of
25 1950.
26 (b) Chapter 28-A of Title 46 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.
27 (c) Parts IV and V of Subpart H of Part III of Code Title V of Book I of Title
28 9 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, except R.S. 9:372.1.
29 (d) Chapter 8 of Title XV of the Children's Code.
Page 2 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 112 ENROLLED
1 (e) Any other protective order prohibiting a person from harming or going
2 near or in the proximity of the other person.
3 D. For purposes of this Subpart, miles shall be measured by the shortest
4 distance that is publicly accessible by motor vehicle or by a public ferry, where
5 applicable, from the principal residence of a child to the new intended principal
6 residence.
7 Section 2. The provisions of this Act shall become effective on January 1, 2027.
8 Section 3. This Act shall not apply to any litigation pending on the effective date of
9 this Act regarding the relocation of the principal residence of a child, but shall apply to any
10 subsequent relocation after final disposition of that litigation.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
Page 3 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.