CHILDREN: Provides with respect to children in need of care

Children Elections Healthcare Taxes

Enacted

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

Sponsor: Dixon McMakin
Last action: 2026-06-03
Official status: Signed by the Governor - Act 717
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation includes details not directly supported by the provided official source material.

Children's Care for Pregnant Minors

This act amends Louisiana's Children's Code to provide special care and services for children under fourteen who are pregnant, including safety assessments and eligibility for various support services.

What This Bill Does

Adds a new section in the Children's Code that says when a child fourteen years of age or younger is found to be pregnant, the department must do a safety assessment on them.
Updates Article 606(A)(6) to include being twelve years old or younger and pregnant as one of the reasons why a child might need extra care.
Clarifies that any child up to seventeen years old who is pregnant can get help from the department like medical coordination, counseling, case management, and protective supervision.

Who It Names or Affects

Children under fourteen years old who are found to be pregnant
The Department of Children and Family Services

Terms To Know

safety assessment: A check done by the department to make sure a child is safe.
child protection procedures: The steps taken by the department to protect children from harm.

Limits and Unknowns

This act only applies to Louisiana.
It does not specify how much funding will be allocated for these new services.

Amendments

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

Summary of Senate Amendments to HB1224

Filed

Plain English: The amendment adds new grounds for asserting that a child is in need of care if the child is pregnant, especially if they are 14 years old or younger, and it also outlines services available to pregnant children up to age 17.

Adds pregnancy as a ground for alleging that a child needs care if the child is 12 years old or younger.
Requires DCFS to be informed of pregnancies involving children aged 14 years or younger.
Initiates safety assessments for reported pregnant children who are under 15 years old.
Makes services like medical coordination, counseling, and case management available to pregnant children up to age 17.

The exact nature of the 'technical changes' mentioned is not specified in the provided text.

House Vote on HB 1224 CONCUR IN SENATE AMENDMENTS (#1714)

Filed

Plain English: The amendment to HB1224 involves a roll call vote on whether the House will concur with Senate amendments related to children in need of care.

The amendment does not specify any changes to the bill's content but focuses on the procedural step of voting to agree with Senate amendments.

The official text provided is a roll call vote record and does not include details about what specific changes were made in the Senate amendments.
Without additional context, it is unclear exactly how this amendment affects the bill's content or provisions for children in need of care.

Senate Legislative Bureau Amendment #4226 BUREAU Adopted

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes the text in a bill related to children who need care by adding or removing specific references to Article 606(A)(6).

Removes 'Article 606(A)(6) and' from line 2 on page 1.
Adds 'and 606(A)(6)' after '603.2' on line 3 of page 1.
Removes 'Article 606(A)(6) and' from line 7 on page 1.
Changes 'are' to 'is' after '610(A)(3)' on line 7 of page 1.

The exact impact of these changes is not fully explained in the provided text, so it's unclear how they will affect children who need care.

Bill History

2026-06-03 H
Effective date: 08/01/2026.
2026-06-03 H
Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 717.
2026-06-01 H
Sent to the Governor for executive approval.
2026-06-01 S
Signed by the President of the Senate.
2026-05-31 H
Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
2026-05-29 H
Read by title, roll called, yeas 85, nays 5, Senate amendments concurred in.
2026-05-27 H
Scheduled for concurrence on 05/29/2026.
2026-05-26 H
Received from the Senate with amendments.
2026-05-26 S
Rules suspended. The amended bill was read by title, passed by a vote of 38 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
2026-05-25 S
Reported with Legislative Bureau amendments which were read and adopted. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
2026-05-21 S
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
2026-05-20 S
Reported favorably.
2026-05-12 S
Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.
2026-05-11 S
Received in the Senate. Rules suspended. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
2026-05-11 H
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 97, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
2026-05-07 H
Scheduled for floor debate on 05/11/2026.
2026-05-07 H
Read by title, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
2026-05-06 H
Reported favorably (13-0).
2026-04-01 H
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.
2026-03-31 H
Read by title. Lies over under the rules.

Official Summary Text

CHILDREN: Provides with respect to children in need of care

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

ENROLLED
ACT No. 7172026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 1224
BY REPRESENTATIVES MCMAKIN, BERAULT, CARVER, AND MANDIE LANDRY
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact Children's Code Article 610(A)(3) and to enact Children's Code
3 Article 603.2 and 606(A)(6), relative to children in need of care; to provide for
4 definitions; to provide for reporting abuse of children; to provide for pregnant
5 children under fourteen years of age; and to provide for related matters.
6 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. Children's Code Article 610(A)(3) is hereby amended and reenacted and
8 Children's Code Article 603.2 and 606(A)(6) are hereby enacted to read as follows:
9 Art. 603.2. Pregnancy of a child; service eligibility
10 A. Upon receipt of a report that a child fourteen years of age or younger is
11 pregnant, the department shall initiate a safety assessment in accordance with its
12 child protection procedures.
13 B. A child who is seventeen years of age or younger who is pregnant shall
14 be eligible for services provided by the department, including but not limited to
15 medical coordination, counseling, case management, and protective supervision as
16 warranted.
17 C. Nothing in this Article shall require the filing of a petition pursuant to
18 Article 631 unless independent grounds exist pursuant to Article 606.
19 * * *
Page 1 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 1224 ENROLLED
1 Art. 606. Grounds; child in need of care
2 A. Allegations that a child is in need of care shall assert one or more of the
3 following grounds:
4 * * *
5 (6) The child is twelve years of age or younger and is pregnant.
6 * * *
7 Art. 610. Reporting procedure; reports to the legislature and the United States
8 Department of Defense Family Advocacy Program
9 A. A reporter shall immediately report suspected child abuse or neglect or
10 that child abuse or neglect was a contributing factor in a child's death in the
11 following ways:
12 * * *
13 (3) Dual reporting to both the department and the local or state law
14 enforcement agency is permitted. However, the agency who receives a report
15 pursuant to Subparagraph (1) or (2) of this Paragraph shall be the agency responsible
16 for accepting and acting on the report and shall ensure referral to other agencies as
17 necessary. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Paragraph, the pregnancy of
18 a child fourteen years of age or younger shall be reported to the Department of
19 Children and Family Services.
20 * * *
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
Page 2 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.