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HB181 • 2026

MEDICAID: Provides for Medicaid fraud detection and prevention (EN SEE FISC NOTE SG EX See Note)

MEDICAID: Provides for Medicaid fraud detection and prevention (EN SEE FISC NOTE SG EX See Note)

Elections Taxes
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Tony Bacala
Last action
2026-06-02
Official status
Signed by the Governor - Act 624
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Medicaid Fraud Prevention Act

This act allows the Louisiana Department of Revenue to share state income tax return data with the legislative auditor for detecting and preventing Medicaid fraud.

What This Bill Does

  • Creates a new section in R.S. 24:513(Q) that lets the legislative auditor access individual-level state income tax returns for checking Medicaid eligibility and stopping fraud.
  • Adds a new part to R.S. 47:1508(B)(44), allowing the secretary of Louisiana Department of Revenue to share tax return data with the legislative auditor upon request.
  • Requires the legislative auditor to use shared tax data only for ensuring accurate Medicaid eligibility, detecting fraud, and following state laws on program integrity.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Louisiana Department of Revenue
  • The Legislative Auditor
  • People receiving Medicaid benefits

Terms To Know

Legislative Auditor
An official who checks government spending and programs for accuracy and compliance with laws.
SNAP
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helps low-income people buy food.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The act only allows the sharing of tax data for specific purposes related to Medicaid and SNAP fraud prevention.
  • It does not specify how long this data can be kept or who else might have access to it beyond its stated uses.

Amendments

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

Filed

Plain English: The amendment requires the Department of Revenue to share individual state income tax data with the legislative auditor for detecting Medicaid and SNAP fraud, ensuring eligibility accuracy, and complying with program integrity laws.

  • Requires the legislative auditor to request state income tax data from the Department of Revenue.
  • Mandates the Department of Revenue to enter into agreements necessary for sharing this data.
  • Specifies that shared data must comply with federal law.
  • The exact details and processes for how data will be shared are not fully explained in the amendment text.
Adopted

Plain English: The amendment to HB181 removes a specific line and adds an asterisk on another page, without changing the overall content or meaning of the bill.

  • Removes line 4 from page 2 of the bill.
  • Inserts two asterisks between lines 20 and 21 on page 2.
  • The amendment text does not provide enough information to explain the exact impact or purpose of these changes in plain English.
Adopted

Plain English: The amendment adds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to the list of programs covered by Medicaid fraud detection and prevention measures.

  • Adds 'Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program' after 'program' where it appears before 'integrity', 'fraud', 'eligibility', and other relevant terms in the bill.
  • The exact impact of this change on how fraud is detected and prevented for both Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is not detailed in the amendment text.
Draft

Plain English: The amendment adds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to several sections related to Medicaid fraud detection and prevention.

  • Adds 'and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program' after 'program' on page 1, line 2.
  • Inserts 'and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program' between 'Medicaid' and 'fraud' on page 1, line 5.
  • Includes 'and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program' after 'Medicaid' before 'eligibility' on page 1, line 16.
  • Replaces 'program,' with 'program and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,' after 'Medicaid' on page 1, line 17.
  • The amendment text does not provide details about how the changes will affect the programs or their operations.
Filed

Plain English: The amendment to HB181 involves the House voting on Senate amendments related to Medicaid fraud detection and prevention.

  • The House voted to concur with Senate amendments regarding Medicaid fraud detection and prevention.
  • The official text does not provide specific details about the changes made by the Senate amendments, only that the House is voting to agree with them.
Adopted

Plain English: The amendment adds requirements for the legislative auditor and the secretary regarding Medicaid fraud detection and ensures that any disclosures follow federal laws.

  • Adds language allowing the legislative auditor to request information from the secretary exclusively.
  • Changes 'may' to 'shall' when the secretary enters into an agreement, making it a requirement instead of optional.
  • Inserts new paragraph (d) which states that any disclosures must comply with federal law, specifically 26 U.S.C. 6103.
  • The exact nature and extent of the changes to 'legislative auditor's' powers are not fully explained in the provided text.
  • Details about how compliance with federal law will be ensured are not specified.

Bill History

  1. 2026-06-02 H

    Effective date: 06/02/2026.

  2. 2026-06-02 H

    Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 624.

  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 73, nays 25, Senate amendments concurred in.

  7. 2026-05-29 H

    Scheduled for concurrence on 05/29/2026.

  8. 2026-05-28 H

    Received from the Senate with amendments.

  9. 2026-05-28 S

    Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 26 yeas and 8 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  10. 2026-05-28 S

    Called from the Calendar.

  11. 2026-05-26 S

    Read by title and returned to the Calendar, subject to call.

  12. 2026-05-26 S

    Rules suspended.

  13. 2026-05-25 S

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

  14. 2026-05-21 S

    Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  15. 2026-05-20 S

    Reported favorably.

  16. 2026-05-04 S

    Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs.

  17. 2026-04-29 S

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

  18. 2026-04-28 H

    Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 87, nays 2. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

  19. 2026-04-28 H

    Called from the calendar.

  20. 2026-04-21 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 04/28/2026.

  21. 2026-04-21 H

    Notice given.

  22. 2026-04-21 H

    Read by title, returned to the calendar.

  23. 2026-04-21 H

    Called from the calendar.

  24. 2026-04-14 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 04/21/2026.

  25. 2026-04-14 H

    Notice given.

  26. 2026-04-14 H

    Read by title, returned to the calendar.

  27. 2026-04-13 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 04/14/2026.

  28. 2026-04-09 H

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

  29. 2026-04-08 H

    Reported with amendments (10-6).

  30. 2026-03-09 H

    Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs.

  31. 2026-02-20 H

    First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/20/2026.

  32. 2026-02-18 H

    Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs.

  33. 2026-02-18 H

    Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

MEDICAID: Provides for Medicaid fraud detection and prevention (EN SEE FISC NOTE SG EX See Note)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
ENROLLED
ACT No. 6242026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 181
BY REPRESENTATIVE BACALA
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 24:513(Q) and R.S. 47:1508(B)(44), relative to Medicaid program and
3 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program integrity; to authorize the Louisiana
4 Department of Revenue to share state income tax return data with the legislative
5 auditor for certain limited purposes; to authorize the legislative auditor to utilize such
6 data for purposes of Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program fraud
7 detection and prevention; to provide for interagency agreements relative to sharing
8 of data; to provide for an effective date; and to provide for related matters.
9 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
10 Section 1. R.S. 24:513(Q) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
11 §513. Powers and duties of legislative auditor; audit reports as public records;
12 assistance and opinions of attorney general; frequency of audits; subpoena
13 power
14 * * *
15 Q. The legislative auditor may access individual-level state income tax return
16 data in accordance with R.S. 47:1508(B)(44) for the limited purposes of ensuring
17 accuracy of Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program eligibility
18 determinations, detecting and preventing fraud in the Medicaid program and
Page 1 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 181 ENROLLED
1 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and fulfilling all other applicable
2 requirements of the Medical Assistance Programs Integrity Law, R.S. 46:437.1 et
3 seq.
4 Section 2. R.S. 47:1508(B)(44) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
5 §1508. Confidentiality of tax records
6 * * *
7 B. Nothing contained in this Section shall be construed to prevent:
8 * * *
9 (44)(a) The secretary from disclosing individual-level state income tax return
10 data to the legislative auditor, upon request of the legislative auditor, exclusively for
11 the purposes specified in this Paragraph.
12 (b) The legislative auditor shall utilize data disclosed pursuant to this
13 Paragraph for only the following purposes:
14 (i) Ensuring accuracy of Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
15 Program eligibility determinations.
16 (ii) Detecting and preventing fraud in the Medicaid program and
17 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
18 (iii) Fulfilling the requirements of the Medical Assistance Programs Integrity
19 Law, R.S. 46:437.1 et seq.
20 (c) The secretary shall enter into any memorandum of understanding,
21 cooperative endeavor, or other type of agreement as may be necessary to facilitate
22 the sharing of data with the legislative auditor for the purposes set forth in this
23 Paragraph.
24 (d) Any disclosure authorized pursuant to this Paragraph shall comply with
25 applicable federal law, including 26 U.S.C. 6103.
26 * * *
27 Section 3. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not
28 signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature
29 by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If
Page 2 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 181 ENROLLED
1 vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become
2 effective on the day following such approval.
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.