HB1248 • 2026

WILDLIFE & FISHERIES: Permits the possession of white-tailed deer by wildlife rehabilitators

Enacted

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

Sponsor: Lauren Ventrella
Last action: 2026-06-01
Official status: Signed by the Governor - Act 725
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official summary does not provide detailed information on all aspects of the bill, such as exact enclosure sizes and feeding methods. These specifics are found in the full text of the act.

Allowing Wildlife Rehabilitators to Care for White-Tailed Deer

This act allows wildlife rehabilitators to possess and care for injured or orphaned white-tailed deer within Louisiana's Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Management Zones, with specific conditions.

What This Bill Does

Permits wildlife rehabilitators to possess and care for injured or orphaned white-tailed deer originating from within a CWD Management Zone in Louisiana.
Requires wildlife rehabilitators to monitor the health of deer they are caring for, especially looking out for signs of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).
Specifies that if a deer shows neurological symptoms or other serious conditions, it must be euthanized and tested for CWD.
Sets rules on how to care for fawns in rehabilitation, including enclosure size requirements and feeding methods.

Who It Names or Affects

Wildlife rehabilitators who are permitted by Louisiana law.
White-tailed deer within Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Management Zones in Louisiana.

Terms To Know

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD): A fatal disease that affects the nervous system of white-tailed deer and other cervids.
Wildlife rehabilitator: A person or organization licensed to care for injured, orphaned, or sick wildlife until they can be released back into their natural habitat.

Limits and Unknowns

The act does not allow the rehabilitation of white-tailed deer that come from outside Louisiana.
Wildlife rehabilitators must follow strict guidelines and may face penalties if they do not comply with the rules set by this act.

Bill History

2026-06-01 H
Effective date: 08/01/2026.
2026-06-01 H
Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 725.
2026-05-29 H
Sent to the Governor for executive approval.
2026-05-28 S
Signed by the President of the Senate.
2026-05-28 H
Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
2026-05-28 H
Received from the Senate without amendments.
2026-05-27 S
Read by title, passed by a vote of 33 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
2026-05-26 S
Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
2026-05-25 S
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
2026-05-21 S
Rules suspended. Reported favorably.
2026-05-06 S
Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Natural Resources.
2026-05-05 S
Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
2026-05-05 H
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 96, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
2026-04-29 H
Scheduled for floor debate on 05/05/2026.
2026-04-28 H
Read by title, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
2026-04-27 H
Read by title, substitute title adopted, lies over in the same order of business, substitute for HB No. 934 reported by the Committee on Natural Resources and Environment (14-0).

Official Summary Text

WILDLIFE & FISHERIES: Permits the possession of white-tailed deer by wildlife rehabilitators

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

ENROLLED
ACT No. 7252026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 1248 (Substitute for House Bill No. 934 by Representative
Ventrella)
BY REPRESENTATIVE VENTRELLA
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 56:129, relative to possession of wildlife; to permit the possession of white-
3 tailed deer by wildlife rehabilitators; to provide for requirements and prohibitions;
4 and to provide for related matters.
5 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
6 Section 1. R.S. 56:129 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
7 §129. Possession of white-tailed deer; prohibitions
8 Wildlife rehabilitators permitted pursuant to LAC 76:V.131 may possess
9 white-tailed deer subject to the following provisions:
10 (1) Rehabilitation of white-tailed deer originating from outside of Louisiana
11 shall be strictly prohibited.
12 (2) The rehabilitation of injured or orphaned white-tailed deer originating
13 from within a Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Management Zone shall be
14 permitted; however, any such deer shall be rehabilitated and released only within the
15 boundaries of the same CWD Management Zone from which the animal originated.
16 (a) Any person or entity engaged in the rehabilitation of such deer shall be
17 strictly responsible for the monitoring of the animal's health during rehabilitation and
18 shall maintain a diligent watch for any neurological symptoms or other indicators
19 consistent with CWD.
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HB NO. 1248 ENROLLED
1 (b) Failure to comply with the provisions of this Paragraph shall constitute
2 a violation subject to penalties as provided by law, and may result in the revocation
3 of any applicable rehabilitation permit.
4 (3) Any animal that displays abnormal neurological symptoms shall be
5 euthanized and a CWD sample shall be submitted to the department. Until a
6 negative CWD result is received, all deer within the facility shall remain
7 quarantined.
8 (4) If any deer from a rehabilitation facility receives a positive CWD result,
9 all live white-tailed deer shall be euthanized and CWD samples shall be collected.
10 That rehabilitation facility shall be prohibited from participating in deer
11 rehabilitation activities in the future.
12 (5) Any white-tailed deer that display open fractures, neurological
13 symptoms, or symptoms of epizootic hemorrhagic disease or bluetongue virus shall
14 be ineligible for rehabilitation.
15 (6) Any white-tailed deer that display signs of being habituated to humans
16 shall be ineligible for rehabilitation.
17 (7) The minimum enclosure size shall be fifteen feet by twenty feet by eight
18 feet for a single fawn. The pen shall be increased by fifty square feet for each
19 additional animal. The maximum number of fawns allowed per enclosure shall be
20 four, regardless of size. The enclosure shall be constructed of wood or wire with a
21 minimum thickness of twelve gauge with no greater than two-inch mesh or other
22 sturdy materials to prevent escape and to prevent domestic animals or predators from
23 gaining access to the pen. The enclosure shall be constructed in an area out of sight
24 of high traffic human and pet activity. If wire mesh fencing is used, a privacy or
25 shade cloth shall cover all sides.
26 (8) Once fawns are accustomed to drinking from a bottle, they shall be fed
27 only from a hanging rack.
28 (9) The wildlife rehabilitator shall notify the department permits coordinator
29 at least seventy-two hours in advance of a planned release. The predetermined
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HB NO. 1248 ENROLLED
1 release location sites shall be specified by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
2 prior to each release.
3 (10) No tags, collars, or other visual marks on white-tail deer to be released
4 shall be allowed.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
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are additions.