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HB255 • 2026

CRIMINAL/PENALTIES: Provides relative to wearing masks in public (OR SEE FISC NOTE GF EX)

CRIMINAL/PENALTIES: Provides relative to wearing masks in public (OR SEE FISC NOTE GF EX)

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Mike Bayham
Last action
2026-05-20
Official status
Substitute adopted on the House floor (became HB1259)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information on how judges should determine intent or the potential impact on sentencing rates.

Law to Increase Penalties for Masked Criminals

This bill allows courts to add two years of imprisonment, with or without hard labor, to sentences for specific crimes if the offender was wearing a mask or disguise with intent to hide their identity.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds new section F to Louisiana Revised Statute 14:313, which permits courts to impose an additional two years of imprisonment (with or without hard labor) on individuals convicted of specific crimes if they were wearing a mask or disguise with the intent to hide their identity.
  • Lists 40 different crimes where wearing a mask can lead to an additional two-year sentence.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People convicted of certain crimes who were wearing masks or disguises with intent to hide their identity at the time of committing those crimes.

Terms To Know

Mask
A covering for the face, especially one worn as a disguise or protection.
Hard labor
Physical work done by prisoners as punishment.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how judges should determine if someone was wearing a mask to hide their identity.
  • It is unclear what impact this will have on the number of people receiving longer sentences.

Amendments

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

Draft

Plain English: HCAHB255 4825 4016 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Substitute for Original House Bill No.

  • HCAHB255 4825 4016 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Substitute for Original House Bill No.
  • 255 by Representative Bayham as proposed by the House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice This document reflects the content of a substitute bill but is not in a bill form; page numbers in this document DO NOT correspond to page numbers in the substitute bill itself.
  • 1 To enact R.S.
  • 14:313.2, relative to wearing masks while committing felonies; to provide for 2 enhanced penalties; to provide for exceptions; and to provide for related matters.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-20 H

    Becomes HB 1259.

  2. 2026-05-19 H

    Reported by substitute (8-3).

  3. 2026-03-09 H

    Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.

  4. 2026-02-27 H

    First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.

  5. 2026-02-23 H

    Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.

  6. 2026-02-23 H

    Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

CRIMINAL/PENALTIES: Provides relative to wearing masks in public (OR SEE FISC NOTE GF EX)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HLS 26RS-162 ORIGINAL
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 255
BY REPRESENTATIVE BAYHAM
CRIMINAL/PENALTIES: Provides relative to wearing masks in public
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 14:313(F), relative to wearing of masks; to provide for increased penalties for
3 certain crimes committed while masked; and to provide for related matters.
4 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
5 Section 1. R.S. 14:313(F) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
6 §313. Wearing of masks, hoods, or other facial disguises in public places prohibited;
7 penalty; exceptions; permit to conduct Mardi Gras festivities; wearing of
8 hoods, masks, or disguises by sex offenders
9 * * *
10 F. The court may, in addition to any other penalty provided by law, sentence
11 any person who is convicted of any of the following to an additional two years of
12 imprisonment, with or without hard labor, when, at the time of the commission of the
13 crime, the offender was wearing a mask, hood, or other facial disguise with the intent
14 to conceal or hide his identity:
15 (1) R.S. 14:28 (Inciting a felony)
16 (2) R.S. 14:34.2 (Battery of a police officer)
17 (3) R.S. 14:34.6 (Disarming of a peace officer)
18 (4) R.S. 14:37.2 (Aggravated assault upon a peace officer)
19 (5) R.S. 14:37.3 (Unlawful use of a laser on a police officer)
Page 1 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-162 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 255
1 (6) R.S. 14:37.6 (Aggravated assault with a motor vehicle upon a peace
2 officer)
3 (7) R.S. 14:51 (Aggravated arson)
4 (8) R.S. 14:51.1 (Injury by arson)
5 (9) R.S. 14:52 (Simple arson)
6 (10) R.S. 14:52.1 (Simple arson of a religious building)
7 (11) R.S. 14:52.2 (Negligent arson)
8 (12) R.S. 14:55 (Aggravated criminal damage to property)
9 (13) R.S. 14:56 (Simple criminal damage to property)
10 (14) R.S. 14:56.4 (Criminal damage to property by defacing with graffiti)
11 (15) R.S. 14:56.5 (Criminal damage to historic buildings or landmarks by
12 defacing with graffiti)
13 (16) R.S. 14:57.1 (Vandalizing, tampering with, or destroying a crime
14 camera system)
15 (17) R.S. 14:59 (Criminal mischief)
16 (18) R.S. 14:61 (Unauthorized entry of a critical infrastructure)
17 (19) R.S. 14:61.1 (Criminal damage to a critical infrastructure)
18 (20) R.S. 14:62.5 (Looting)
19 (21) R.S. 14:63.3 (Entry on or remaining in places or on land after being
20 forbidden)
21 (22) R.S. 14:63.4 (Aiding and abetting others to enter or remain on premises
22 where forbidden)
23 (23) R.S. 14:96 (Aggravated obstruction of a highway of commerce)
24 (24) R.S. 14:97 (Simple obstruction of a highway of commerce)
25 (25) R.S. 14:100.1 (Obstructing public passages)
26 (26) R.S. 14:102.8 (Injuring or killing of a police animal)
27 (27) R.S. 14:103 (Disturbing the peace)
28 (28) R.S. 14:108 (Resisting an officer)
29 (29) R.S. 14:108.1 (Flight from an officer; aggravated flight from an officer)
Page 2 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-162 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 255
1 (30) R.S. 14:108.2 (Resisting a police officer with force or violence)
2 (31) R.S. 14:109 (Approaching a peace officer lawfully engaged in law
3 enforcement duties)
4 (32) R.S. 14:115 (Criminal anarchy)
5 (33) R.S. 14:116 (Flag desecration)
6 (34) R.S. 14:116.1 (Flag burning)
7 (35) R.S. 14:128.1 (Terrorism)
8 (36) R.S. 14:128.2 (Aiding others in terrorism)
9 (37) R.S. 14:225 (Institutional vandalism)
10 (38) R.S. 14:327 (Obstructing a fireman)
11 (39) R.S. 14:329.1 (Riot)
12 (40) R.S. 14:329.2 (Inciting to riot)
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 255 Original 2026 Regular Session Bayham
Abstract: Enhances criminal penalties for certain crimes when committed while wearing
a mask.
Present law prohibits wearing a mask in certain situations.
Proposed law retains present law and authorizes a court to increase a criminal sentence by
two years with or without hard labor if the offender was wearing a mask with the intent to
hide his identity during the commission of the crime.
Proposed law provides a list of crimes for which the court may increase the penalty when
the offender was wearing a mask.
(Adds R.S. 14:313(F))
Page 3 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.