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HB420 • 2026

CHILDREN/DCFS: Requires the Department of Children and Family Services to obtain background checks on all employees (EN INCREASE GF EX See Note)

CHILDREN/DCFS: Requires the Department of Children and Family Services to obtain background checks on all employees (EN INCREASE GF EX See Note)

Children Labor
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Stephanie Berault
Last action
2026-06-09
Official status
Signed by the Governor - Act 803
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

CHILDREN/DCFS: Requires the Department of Children and Family Services to obtain background checks on all employees (EN INCREASE GF EX See Note)

CHILDREN/DCFS: Requires the Department of Children and Family Services to obtain background checks on all employees (EN INCREASE GF EX See Note)

What This Bill Does

  • CHILDREN/DCFS: Requires the Department of Children and Family Services to obtain background checks on all employees (EN INCREASE GF EX See Note)

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

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

Filed

Plain English: SSHB420 4465 5896 HOUSE SUMMARY OF SENATE AMENDMENTS HB 420 2026 Regular Session Berault CHILDREN/DCFS: Requires the Department of Children and Family Services to obtain background checks on all employees Synopsis of Senate Amendments 1.

  • SSHB420 4465 5896 HOUSE SUMMARY OF SENATE AMENDMENTS HB 420 2026 Regular Session Berault CHILDREN/DCFS: Requires the Department of Children and Family Services to obtain background checks on all employees Synopsis of Senate Amendments 1.
  • Requires the secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services to conduct a criminal background on all employees and prospective employees.
  • Digest of Bill as Finally Passed by Senate Present law provides for the functions, powers, and duties of the secretary of DCFS.
  • Proposed law modifies present law by adding that the secretary shall conduct criminal background checks and searches of the state central registry of substantiated abuse or neglect (central registry) on all current and prospective employees of DCFS in accordance with proposed law.
Filed

Plain English: 2026 Regular Session Sequence: 1467 HBS AMENDED BY SENATE TO BE CONCURRED IN HB 420 BY BERAULT CONCUR IN SENATE AMENDMENTS Date: 5/26/2026 Time: 1:59:42 PM ROLL CALL The roll was called with the following result: YEAS Adams Amedee Bacala Bamburg Beaullieu Berault Billings Boudreaux Bourriaque Boyd Boyer Brass Braud Broussard Bryant Butler Carpenter Carrier Carter, R.

  • 2026 Regular Session Sequence: 1467 HBS AMENDED BY SENATE TO BE CONCURRED IN HB 420 BY BERAULT CONCUR IN SENATE AMENDMENTS Date: 5/26/2026 Time: 1:59:42 PM ROLL CALL The roll was called with the following result: YEAS Adams Amedee Bacala Bamburg Beaullieu Berault Billings Boudreaux Bourriaque Boyd Boyer Brass Braud Broussard Bryant Butler Carpenter Carrier Carter, R.
  • Carter, W.
  • Carver Chassion Chenevert Coates Cox Crews Deshotel Dewitt Dickerson Domangue Echols Edmonston Egan Firment Fisher Fontenot Freeman Freiberg Gadberry Galle Geymann Glorioso Green Hebert Henry, C.
  • Henry, D.
Adopted

Plain English: SCAHB420 3005 3307 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Health and Welfare to Engrossed House Bill No.

  • SCAHB420 3005 3307 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Health and Welfare to Engrossed House Bill No.
  • 420 by Representative Berault 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 3, change "R.S.
  • 36:474(B)(1)(a)(iv)" to "R.S.
Draft

Plain English: SCAHB420 3005 3268 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Health and Welfare to Engrossed House Bill No.

  • SCAHB420 3005 3268 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Health and Welfare to Engrossed House Bill No.
  • 420 by Representative Berault 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 3, change "R.S.
  • 36:474(B)(1)(a)(iv)" to "R.S.

Bill History

  1. 2026-06-09 H

    Effective date: 08/01/2026.

  2. 2026-06-09 H

    Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 803.

  3. 2026-05-28 H

    Sent to the Governor for executive approval.

  4. 2026-05-27 S

    Signed by the President of the Senate.

  5. 2026-05-27 H

    Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.

  6. 2026-05-26 H

    Read by title, roll called, yeas 99, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.

  7. 2026-05-25 H

    Scheduled for concurrence on 05/26/2026.

  8. 2026-05-19 H

    Received from the Senate with amendments.

  9. 2026-05-18 S

    Rules suspended. The amended bill was read by title, passed by a vote of 35 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  10. 2026-05-11 S

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

  11. 2026-05-07 S

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

  12. 2026-05-06 S

    Reported with amendments.

  13. 2026-04-14 S

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

  14. 2026-04-13 S

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

  15. 2026-04-09 H

    Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 95, nays 1. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

  16. 2026-04-08 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 04/09/2026.

  17. 2026-04-07 H

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

  18. 2026-04-01 H

    Reported favorably (9-0).

  19. 2026-03-09 H

    Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.

  20. 2026-02-27 H

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

  21. 2026-02-25 H

    Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.

  22. 2026-02-25 H

    Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

CHILDREN/DCFS: Requires the Department of Children and Family Services to obtain background checks on all employees (EN INCREASE GF EX See Note)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
ENROLLED
ACT No. 8032026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 420
BY REPRESENTATIVE BERAULT
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 36:474(B)(1)(a)(introductory paragraph) and R.S. 46:51.2
3 (A)(1)(introductory paragraph) and (2) and to enact R.S. 36:474(A)(10), relative to
4 employees of the Department of Children and Family Services; to provide for hiring
5 requirements; to require a criminal background check; to require review of the
6 central registry; and to provide for related matters.
7 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 36:474(B)(1)(a)(introductory paragraph) is hereby amended and
9 reenacted and R.S. 36:474(A)(10) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
10 §474. Powers and duties of the secretary of the Department of Children and Family
11 Services
12 A. In addition to the functions, powers, and duties otherwise vested in the
13 secretary by law, he shall:
14 * * *
15 (10) Conduct a criminal background check and a search of the state central
16 registry of substantiated abuse or neglect reports for all employees and prospective
17 employees of the department in accordance with R.S. 46:51.2.
18 * * *
19 B. The secretary shall have authority to:
20 (1)(a) Except as otherwise specifically provided in R.S. 36:801 and 802.9:
21 * * *
Page 1 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 420 ENROLLED
1 Section 2. R.S. 46:51.2(A)(1)(introductory paragraph) and (2) are hereby amended
2 and reenacted to read as follows:
3 §51.2. Criminal history and central registry information
4 A.(1) No person shall be hired by the department whose duties include the
5 investigation of child abuse or neglect, supervisory or disciplinary authority over
6 children, direct care of a child, or performance of licensing surveys, until both the
7 following conditions are met:
8 * * *
9 (2) Any employee of the department whose duties include the investigation
10 of child abuse or neglect, supervisory or disciplinary authority over children, direct
11 care of a child, or performance of licensing surveys and whose name is recorded on
12 the state central registry subsequent to January 1, 2010, shall be terminated by the
13 department. A permanent classified employee shall not be terminated until he has
14 exhausted his administrative appeal rights pursuant to Children's Code Article
15 616.1.1.
16 * * *
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.