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HB289 • 2026

CRIMINAL/SENTENCING: Provides relative to the time period between conviction and sentencing (EN DECREASE LF EX See Note)

CRIMINAL/SENTENCING: Provides relative to the time period between conviction and sentencing (EN DECREASE LF EX See Note)

Crime
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Peter Egan
Last action
2026-06-02
Official status
Signed by the Governor - Act 634
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Law on Time Between Conviction and Sentencing

This law changes the time requirements between when someone is found guilty of a felony and when they receive their punishment.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes how long must pass before someone who committed a felony gets sentenced after being found guilty.
  • Requires at least three days to go by between conviction and sentencing for felonies.
  • If the defendant asks for a new trial or challenges the judgment, there needs to be at least 24 hours after the court denies this request before sentencing can happen.
  • Allows immediate sentencing if the person waives their right to wait or pleads guilty.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who are convicted of felonies in Louisiana
  • Courts and judges handling felony cases

Terms To Know

Felony
A serious crime that can result in a prison sentence.
Conviction
When someone is found guilty of a crime by a court.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify what happens if the required time period passes and there are delays.
  • It's unclear how this change will affect existing cases or those already in the process.

Amendments

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

Filed

Plain English: The amendment removes the requirement for a 24-hour waiting period before sentencing can be imposed after a motion for a new trial or to arrest judgment is overruled.

  • Removes the 24-hour time period that must pass between when a motion for a new trial or in arrest of judgment is denied and when a sentence can be given.
  • The amendment text does not provide details on how this change will affect current legal procedures beyond removing the specific waiting period.
  • Technical changes made by the amendment are not detailed, so their exact nature cannot be explained.
Filed

Plain English: The amendment to HB289 is about agreeing with changes made by the Senate regarding the time between when someone is found guilty of a crime and when they are sentenced.

  • The House agrees to adopt amendments made by the Senate concerning the period between conviction and sentencing in criminal cases.
  • The official amendment text does not provide specific details about what changes were made by the Senate, only that the House is agreeing to them.

Bill History

  1. 2026-06-02 H

    Effective date: 08/01/2026.

  2. 2026-06-02 H

    Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 634.

  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 97, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.

  7. 2026-05-29 H

    Called from the calendar.

  8. 2026-05-29 H

    Read by title, returned to the calendar.

  9. 2026-05-27 H

    Scheduled for concurrence on 05/29/2026.

  10. 2026-05-26 H

    Received from the Senate with amendments.

  11. 2026-05-26 S

    Rules suspended. Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 36 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  12. 2026-05-21 S

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

  13. 2026-05-20 S

    Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  14. 2026-05-19 S

    Reported favorably.

  15. 2026-04-08 S

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

  16. 2026-04-07 S

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

  17. 2026-04-01 H

    Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 95, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

  18. 2026-04-01 H

    Called from the calendar.

  19. 2026-03-25 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 04/01/2026.

  20. 2026-03-25 H

    Notice given.

  21. 2026-03-25 H

    Read by title, returned to the calendar.

  22. 2026-03-23 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 03/25/2026.

  23. 2026-03-23 H

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

  24. 2026-03-18 H

    Reported favorably (9-0).

  25. 2026-03-09 H

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

  26. 2026-02-27 H

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

  27. 2026-02-24 H

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

  28. 2026-02-24 H

    Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

CRIMINAL/SENTENCING: Provides relative to the time period between conviction and sentencing (EN DECREASE LF EX See Note)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
ENROLLED
ACT No. 6342026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 289
BY REPRESENTATIVE EGAN
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact Code of Criminal Procedure Article 873, relative to sentencing; to
3 provide relative to the imposition of sentence in certain circumstances; and to
4 provide for related matters.
5 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
6 Section 1. Code of Criminal Procedure Article 873 is hereby amended and reenacted
7 to read as follows:
8 Art. 873. Delay between conviction and sentence
9 If a defendant is convicted of a felony, at least three days shall elapse
10 between conviction and sentence sentencing. If a motion for a new trial, or in arrest
11 of judgment, is filed, sentence shall not be imposed until at least twenty-four hours
12 after the motion is overruled. If the defendant expressly waives a delay provided for
13 in this article Article or pleads guilty, sentence may be imposed immediately.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
Page 1 of 1
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.