HB23 • 2026

RETIREMENT/STATE EMPS: Grants a cost-of-living adjustment to eligible retirees and beneficiaries (EN +$235,000,000 APV)

Labor

Enacted

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

Sponsor: Tony Bacala
Last action: 2026-05-22
Official status: Signed by the Governor - Act 280
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

No unsupported claims were found in the candidate explanation. The provided information aligns well with the official source material.

Cost-of-Living Adjustment for State Retirees

This act provides a cost-of-living adjustment to eligible retirees and beneficiaries of the Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System, funded by money from the experience account.

What This Bill Does

Creates a new law that allows retirees and certain beneficiaries to receive a cost-of-living adjustment starting July 1, 2026.
Requires the adjustment to be paid only on the first $81,201 of a retiree or beneficiary's benefit.
Limits the maximum payment to two percent of the eligible benefit amount as determined by an actuary with agreement from another expert.
Funds the cost-of-living adjustments using money from the experience account.

Who It Names or Affects

Retirees who are at least age sixty and have received benefits for at least one year by June 30, 2026.
Nonretiree beneficiaries if benefits had been paid to them or their retiree for at least a year and the retiree would be at least age sixty by June 30, 2026.
Disability retirees and those receiving benefits based on the death of a disability retiree who have received benefits for at least one year.

Terms To Know

Cost-of-living adjustment: An increase in retirement or benefit payments to help keep up with rising prices and costs of living.
Experience account: A fund within the Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System that holds money based on how well the system is doing financially.

Limits and Unknowns

The act only applies to retirees and beneficiaries who meet specific eligibility criteria.
The exact amount of the adjustment will be determined by an actuary, which may vary.
The law becomes effective on June 30, 2026.

Amendments

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

House Committee Amendment #2523 RET Adopted

Adopted

Plain English: HCAHB23 4267 2523 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Retirement to Original House Bill No.

HCAHB23 4267 2523 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Retirement to Original House Bill No.
23 by Representative Bacala 1 AMENDMENT NO.
1 2 On page 2, line 5, after "first" delete "eighty thousand dollars" and insert "eighty-one 3 thousand two hundred and one dollars" Page 1 of 1 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions.

House Committee Amendment #1306 RET Draft

Draft

Plain English: HCAHB23 4267 1306 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Retirement to Original House Bill No.

HCAHB23 4267 1306 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Retirement to Original House Bill No.
23 by Representative Bacala 1 AMENDMENT NO.
1 2 On page 2, line 5, after "first" delete "eighty thousand dollars" and insert "eighty-one 3 thousand two hundred and one dollars" Page 1 of 1 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions.

Bill History

2026-05-22 H
Effective date: 06/30/2026.
2026-05-22 H
Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 280.
2026-05-19 H
Sent to the Governor for executive approval.
2026-05-18 S
Signed by the President of the Senate.
2026-05-18 H
Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
2026-05-18 H
Received from the Senate without amendments.
2026-05-13 S
Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 33 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
2026-05-06 S
Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
2026-05-05 S
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
2026-05-05 S
Rules suspended. Recalled from Committee.
2026-04-14 S
Read by title. Recommitted to the Committee on Finance.
2026-04-13 S
Reported favorably.
2026-04-07 S
Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Retirement.
2026-04-01 S
Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
2026-04-01 H
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 93, nays 2. The bill, having received two-thirds vote of the elected members, was finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
2026-03-31 H
Scheduled for floor debate on 04/01/2026.
2026-03-30 H
Read by title, amended, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
2026-03-26 H
Reported with amendments (9-0).
2026-03-09 H
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Retirement.
2026-01-23 H
First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 1/23/2026.
2026-01-20 H
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Retirement.
2026-01-20 H
Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

RETIREMENT/STATE EMPS: Grants a cost-of-living adjustment to eligible retirees and beneficiaries (EN +$235,000,000 APV)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

ENROLLED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 23
BY REPRESENTATIVES BACALA, ADAMS, BAYHAM, BERAULT, BILLINGS,
BROUSSARD, CARVER, FREIBERG, ILLG, TRAVIS JOHNSON, KNOX,
LACOMBE, LAFLEUR, LYONS, MARCELLE, MARTINEZ, MCMAKIN,
NEWELL, PHELPS, SAWYER, STAGNI, TAYLOR, THOMPSON, AND WYBLE
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 11:542.4, relative to the Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System; to
3 provide for a cost-of-living adjustment; to provide for eligibility and funding; to
4 provide for payment and timing; and to provide for related matters.
5 Notice of intention to introduce this Act has been published
6 as provided by Article X, Section 29(C) of the Constitution
7 of Louisiana.
8 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
9 Section 1. R.S. 11:542.4 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
10 §542.4. Cost-of-living adjustment; payable July 1, 2026
11 A. Notwithstanding any provision of R.S. 11:542 to the contrary, the board
12 of trustees of the Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System may grant a cost-
13 of-living adjustment, funded exclusively with money from the experience account
14 and payable July 1, 2026, to the following retirees and beneficiaries:
15 (1) Any retiree, other than a disability retiree, who has attained at least age
16 sixty and who has received a benefit for at least one year by June 30, 2026.
17 (2) Any nonretiree beneficiary, if benefits had been paid to the retiree or the
18 beneficiary, or both combined, for at least one year and if the retiree would have
19 attained age sixty by June 30, 2026.
Page 1 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 23 ENROLLED
1 (3) Any disability retiree or a person who receives benefits from the system
2 based on the death of a disability retiree, if benefits have been paid to the retiree or
3 the beneficiary, or both combined for at least one year by June 30, 2026.
4 B. The adjustment authorized by this Section shall be payable only on the
5 first eighty-one thousand two hundred and one dollars of a retiree or beneficiary's
6 benefit and shall be an amount determined by the system's actuary with the
7 agreement of the legislative auditor's actuary that is supported by the experience
8 account balance after any credits or debits to the account pursuant to R.S. 11:542, up
9 to a maximum payment of two percent of the eligible benefit amount.
10 Section 2. The cost of this Act, if any, shall be funded with additional employer
11 contributions in compliance with Article X, Section 29(F) of the Constitution of Louisiana.
12 Section 3. This Act shall become effective on June 30, 2026; if vetoed by the
13 governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become effective on
14 June 30, 2026, or on the day following such approval by the legislature, whichever is later.
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.