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HB145 • 2026

FUNDS/FUNDING: Provides for the payment of extraordinary medical and dental expenses of firemen and law enforcement officers (EN +$25,000 GF EX See Note)

FUNDS/FUNDING: Provides for the payment of extraordinary medical and dental expenses of firemen and law enforcement officers (EN +$25,000 GF EX See Note)

Healthcare Labor
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Tehmi Chassion
Last action
2026-06-03
Official status
Signed by the Governor - Act 621
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide detailed rules for the board's operations beyond hearing and deciding claims within sixty days.

Funds for Medical and Dental Expenses for Firefighters and Police Officers

This act provides funding to cover extraordinary medical and dental expenses for firefighters and police officers who are injured while on duty.

What This Bill Does

  • Creates a fund to pay for extra medical costs not covered by workers' compensation or health insurance for firefighters and police officers.
  • Establishes rules for the Law Enforcement Officers and Firemen's Survivor Benefit Review Board to review claims and decide if expenses qualify under this act.
  • Limits the maximum benefit an officer can receive per injury to $25,000.
  • Requires the board to notify injured officers of their decision within 60 days after receiving documentation.
  • Sets conditions under which benefits will not be paid, such as when the injury is caused by the officer's intentional misconduct or gross negligence.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Firefighters and police officers who are injured while on duty in Louisiana.
  • The Law Enforcement Officers and Firemen's Survivor Benefit Review Board responsible for reviewing claims.
  • The state risk director who pays out benefits from the fund.

Terms To Know

Extraordinary medical and dental expenses
Medical or dental costs not covered by workers' compensation or health insurance.
Law enforcement officer
Includes full-time sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, state police members, municipal police officers, and university college police officers.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The act only covers expenses incurred after January 1, 2023.
  • Benefits are limited to $25,000 per injury for each officer.
  • The act does not cover injuries caused by the officer's intentional misconduct or gross negligence.

Amendments

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

Filed

Plain English: The amendment reduces the maximum benefit for extraordinary medical and dental expenses from $50,000 to $25,000 per injury for firemen and law enforcement officers.

  • Reduces the maximum payment for extraordinary medical and dental expenses from $50,000 to $25,000 per injury per officer.
  • The amendment text does not provide details on how the reduction will affect existing claims or future applications.
Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes how firemen and law enforcement officers' extraordinary medical and dental expenses are covered by altering the definition used in the bill.

  • Changes 'means' to 'includes' after the term 'officer' on page 2, line 26 of the bill.
  • Adds the word 'the' at the end of line 6 on page 4.
  • The exact impact of these changes is unclear without more context about how they affect the overall meaning and application of the bill.
Filed

Plain English: The amendment to HB145 by Chassion is about agreeing with changes made in the Senate regarding funding for extraordinary medical and dental expenses for firemen and law enforcement officers.

  • Agrees with Senate amendments related to providing funds for emergency medical and dental care for firefighters and police officers.
  • The official text does not specify the exact nature of the Senate's changes, only that this amendment is about concurring in them.
Adopted

Plain English: The amendment reduces the amount allocated for extraordinary medical and dental expenses from $50,000 to $25,000.

  • Changes the funding amount from fifty thousand dollars to twenty-five thousand dollars.
Draft

Plain English: The amendment reduces the amount allocated for extraordinary medical and dental expenses from $50,000 to $25,000.

  • Changes the funding amount from fifty thousand dollars to twenty-five thousand dollars.

Bill History

  1. 2026-06-03 H

    Effective date: 07/01/2026.

  2. 2026-06-03 H

    Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 621.

  3. 2026-06-01 H

    Sent to the Governor for executive approval.

  4. 2026-06-01 S

    Signed by the President of the Senate.

  5. 2026-05-31 H

    Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.

  6. 2026-05-29 H

    Read by title, roll called, yeas 99, nays 2, Senate amendments concurred in.

  7. 2026-05-27 H

    Scheduled for concurrence on 05/29/2026.

  8. 2026-05-26 H

    Received from the Senate with amendments.

  9. 2026-05-25 S

    Rules suspended. The amended bill was read by title, passed by a vote of 36 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  10. 2026-05-20 S

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

  11. 2026-05-19 S

    Committee amendments read and adopted. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  12. 2026-05-18 S

    Reported with amendments.

  13. 2026-04-15 S

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

  14. 2026-04-14 S

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

  15. 2026-04-13 H

    Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 87, nays 6. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

  16. 2026-04-09 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 04/13/2026.

  17. 2026-04-08 H

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

  18. 2026-04-07 H

    Reported favorably (18-0).

  19. 2026-03-09 H

    Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

  20. 2026-02-13 H

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

  21. 2026-02-13 H

    Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

  22. 2026-02-13 H

    Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

FUNDS/FUNDING: Provides for the payment of extraordinary medical and dental expenses of firemen and law enforcement officers (EN +$25,000 GF EX See Note)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
ENROLLED
ACT No. 6212026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 145
BY REPRESENTATIVE CHASSION
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact the heading of Chapter 7-C of Title 40 of the Louisiana Revised
3 Statutes of 1950 and to enact R.S. 39:1533(A)(3) and R.S. 40:1668.1, relative to the
4 Law Enforcement Officers and Firemen's Survivor Benefit Review Board; to provide
5 for the payment of extraordinary medical and dental expenses of firemen and law
6 enforcement officers injured in the course and scope of employment; to provide for
7 the duties and powers of the Law Enforcement Officers and Firemen's Survivor
8 Benefit Review Board; to provide for definitions; to provide for the duties and
9 powers of the state risk director; to authorize the promulgation of rules; to provide
10 for an effective date; and to provide for related matters.
11 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
12 Section 1. R.S. 39:1533(A)(3) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
13 §1533. Self-Insurance Fund
14 A.
15 * * *
16 (3) Payment for extraordinary medical and dental expenses for law
17 enforcement officers and firemen as provided for in R.S. 40:1668.1 shall be made by
18 the office of risk management on behalf of the Law Enforcement Officers and
19 Firemen's Survivor Benefit Review Board as a result of a specific appropriation
20 received for that purpose.
21 * * *
Page 1 of 4
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 145 ENROLLED
1 Section 2. The heading of Chapter 7-C of Title 40 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes
2 of 1950 is hereby amended and reenacted and R.S. 40:1668.1 is hereby enacted to read as
3 follows:
4 CHAPTER 7-C. FIREMEN AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS -
5 DISABILITY BENEFITS - EXTRAORDINARY MEDICAL AND DENTAL EXPENSES
6 * * *
7 §1668.1. Payment for extraordinary medical and dental expenses for firemen and
8 law enforcement officers
9 A. It is hereby declared to be the public policy of this state, under its police
10 power, to provide for certain extraordinary medical and dental expenses for firemen
11 and law enforcement officers determined to be injured as the direct and proximate
12 result of an injury arising out of and in the course of the performance of their official
13 duties.
14 B. As used in this Section, the following words have the following
15 meanings:
16 (1) "Board" means the Law Enforcement Officers and Firemen's Survivor
17 Benefit Review Board created and provided for in R.S. 40:1665.3.
18 (2) "Extraordinary medical and dental expenses" means any of the following:
19 (a) Medical expenses of the injured employee not covered by workers'
20 compensation coverage or by the health insurance plan provided by the employer.
21 (b) Dental expenses of the injured employee not covered by workers'
22 compensation coverage or by the health insurance plan provided by the employer.
23 (3) "Law enforcement officer" includes the following:
24 (a) All sheriffs and deputy sheriffs in the state employed on a full-time basis.
25 (b) All members of the state police employed on a full-time basis.
26 (c) All municipal police officers in the state employed on a full-time basis.
27 (d) All university and college police officers at state universities and colleges
28 employed on a full-time basis.
29 (4) "Officer" includes firemen as defined in R.S. 40:1665 and law
30 enforcement officers as defined in Paragraph (3) of this Subsection.
Page 2 of 4
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 145 ENROLLED
1 C. In any case in which an officer is injured as the direct and proximate
2 result of an injury arising out of and in the course of the performance of their official
3 duties, the state risk director shall pay, as provided by R.S. 39:1533(A)(3), on behalf
4 of the officer any extraordinary medical and dental expenses incurred as determined
5 by the board.
6 D.(1) The board shall hear and decide by unanimous vote all claims for
7 extraordinary medical and dental expenses within sixty days after documentation is
8 received. The board may request any information necessary to make a determination
9 of eligibility for the payment of such expenses.
10 (2) Within ten days after the board has reached its decision, it shall send
11 notice of its decision to the officer by certified mail. If the board denies the claim,
12 the officer shall have one year from the date of denial to file suit against the state
13 through the board in the parish where the incident that brought about the injury
14 occurred. The date of denial shall be calculated as one year from the date of receipt
15 of the decision from the board.
16 E. If the board determines the officer qualifies for the benefit payable under
17 this Section, the board shall notify the state risk director.
18 F. The maximum benefit payable shall be twenty-five thousand dollars per
19 injury per officer.
20 G. No benefit shall be payable pursuant to this Section if any of the
21 following applies:
22 (1) The injury was caused by the intentional misconduct of the officer or by
23 the officer's intention to bring about his death, disability, or injury.
24 (2) The officer was voluntarily intoxicated at the time of his injury.
25 (3) The officer was performing his duties in a grossly negligent manner at
26 the time of his injury.
27 H. The board may adopt rules and regulations to implement the provisions
28 of this Section.
Page 3 of 4
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 145 ENROLLED
1 I. The provisions of this Section shall be applicable to extraordinary medical
2 or dental expenses incurred due to an injury arising out of and in the course of the
3 performance of an officer's duties on or after January 1, 2023.
4 Section 3. This Act shall become effective July 1, 2026.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
Page 4 of 4
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.