HB46 • 2026

INSURANCE/GROUP-SHERIFFS: Provides relative to premium costs of group hospital and health insurance for retired sheriffs and retired deputy sheriffs in DeSoto Parish

Healthcare

Enacted

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

Sponsor: Larry Bagley
Last action: 2026-05-11
Official status: Signed by the Governor - Act 45
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill text specifies that the provisions apply differently based on when an officer was hired. Officers hired before January 1, 2009, are subject to different rules not detailed in this summary.

Insurance for Retired DeSoto Parish Law Enforcement

This act changes the rules about how much retired sheriffs and deputy sheriffs of DeSoto Parish have to pay for their health insurance after they retire.

What This Bill Does

Changes the amount that the sheriff's office in DeSoto Parish must pay towards the health insurance premiums for retired law enforcement officers based on years of service.
Specifies that if a retired officer has thirty or more years of service, the sheriff’s office will cover all premium costs for hospital, surgical, medical expense, and dental insurance, plus up to $10,000 in life insurance.
If an officer retires with twenty-five years of service, the sheriff's office pays 75% of these premiums.
For officers retiring after twenty years of service, the sheriff’s office covers half of these costs.

Who It Names or Affects

Retired sheriffs and deputy sheriffs from DeSoto Parish who meet certain service requirements.
The DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Office which will pay for a portion or all of the health insurance premiums for retired officers based on their years of service.

Terms To Know

creditable service: the number of years an officer worked in the DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Office that count towards eligibility for benefits after retirement.
premium costs: the amount paid regularly to maintain health insurance coverage.

Limits and Unknowns

The act only applies to retired sheriffs and deputy sheriffs from DeSoto Parish.
It does not specify what happens if an officer retires with less than fifteen years of service.
Effective date is August 1, 2026.

Bill History

2026-05-11 H
Effective date: 08/01/2026.
2026-05-11 H
Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 45.
2026-05-07 H
Sent to the Governor for executive approval.
2026-05-07 S
Signed by the President of the Senate.
2026-05-06 H
Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
2026-05-06 H
Received from the Senate without amendments.
2026-05-05 S
Read by title, passed by a vote of 36 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
2026-04-27 S
Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
2026-04-22 S
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
2026-04-21 S
Reported favorably.
2026-04-08 S
Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary B.
2026-04-07 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 1. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
2026-04-01 H
Called from the calendar.
2026-04-01 H
Rules suspended, called out of its regular order.
2026-03-31 H
Scheduled for floor debate on 04/01/2026.
2026-03-31 H
Notice given.
2026-03-26 H
Read by title, returned to the calendar.
2026-03-25 H
Scheduled for floor debate on 03/26/2026.
2026-03-24 H
Read by title, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
2026-03-23 H
Reported favorably (14-0).
2026-03-09 H
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
2026-01-23 H
First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 1/23/2026.
2026-01-23 H
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
2026-01-23 H
Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

INSURANCE/GROUP-SHERIFFS: Provides relative to premium costs of group hospital and health insurance for retired sheriffs and retired deputy sheriffs in DeSoto Parish

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

ENROLLED
ACT No. 452026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 46
BY REPRESENTATIVE BAGLEY
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 13:5554(X), relative to the premium costs of group hospital and
3 health insurance for retired sheriffs and retired deputy sheriffs in DeSoto Parish; to
4 provide for eligibility of premium costs; and to provide for related matters.
5 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
6 Section 1. R.S. 13:5554(X) is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
7 §5554. Group insurance; kinds; amounts; subrogation
8 * * *
9 X.(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection D of this Section, the
10 sheriff of DeSoto Parish shall pay out of the sheriff's general fund the premium costs
11 of group insurance for any retired sheriff and any retired deputy sheriff who retired
12 from the DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Office as follows:
13 (1) (a) One hundred percent of the premium costs of group hospital, surgical,
14 medical expense, and dental insurance, and the first ten thousand dollars of life
15 insurance contracted for under the provisions of this Section if the sheriff or deputy
16 sheriff retired with thirty years or more of creditable service with the sheriff's office
17 of DeSoto Parish.
Page 1 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 46 ENROLLED
1 (2) (b) Seventy-five percent of the premium costs of group hospital, surgical,
2 medical expense, and dental insurance, and the first ten thousand dollars of life
3 insurance contracted for under the provisions of this Section if the sheriff or deputy
4 sheriff retired with twenty-five years of creditable service with the sheriff's office of
5 DeSoto Parish.
6 (3) (c) Fifty percent of the premium costs of group hospital, surgical,
7 medical expense, and dental insurance, and the first ten thousand dollars of life
8 insurance contracted for under the provisions of this Section if the sheriff or deputy
9 sheriff retired with twenty years of creditable service with the sheriff's office of
10 DeSoto Parish.
11 (4) (d) The provisions of Paragraphs Subparagraphs (1) (a) through (3) (c)
12 and this Paragraph of this Subsection Paragraph shall apply only to persons hired by
13 the DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Office on or after January 1, 2009, and who subsequently
14 retire retired from the DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Office before January 1, 2026.
15 (2) Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection D of this Section, the
16 sheriff of DeSoto Parish shall pay out of the sheriff's general fund the premium costs
17 of group insurance for any retired sheriff and any retired deputy sheriff who retired
18 from the DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Office as follows:
19 (a) One hundred percent of the premium costs of group hospital, surgical,
20 medical expense, and dental insurance, and the first ten thousand dollars of life
21 insurance contracted for under the provisions of this Section if the sheriff or deputy
22 sheriff retired with twenty years or more of creditable service with the sheriff's office
23 of DeSoto Parish.
24 (b) Fifty percent of the premium costs of group hospital, surgical, medical
25 expense, and dental insurance, and the first ten thousand dollars of life insurance
26 contracted for under the provisions of this Section if the sheriff or deputy sheriff
27 retired with fifteen years or more of creditable service with the sheriff's office of
28 DeSoto Parish.
Page 2 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 46 ENROLLED
1 (c) The provisions of Subparagraphs (a) and (b) of this Paragraph shall apply
2 only to persons hired by the DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Office on or after January 1,
3 2009, and who subsequently retire from the DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Office.
4 (5) (3) The provisions of Paragraph (G)(1) of this Section shall apply to all
5 persons hired before January 1, 2009.
6 * * *
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.