PARDON/PAROLE: Provides relative to parole eligibility for certain individuals (OR SEE FISC NOTE GF EX)

HLS 26RS-962 ORIGINAL
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 523
BY REPRESENTATIVE BRYANT
PARDON/PAROLE: Provides relative to parole eligibility for certain individuals
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 15:574.4(L), relative to parole; to provide for parole eligibility for juvenile
3 and certain other offenders; to provide for criteria for parole eligibility; to provide
4 for exceptions; and to provide for related matters.
5 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
6 Section 1. R.S. 15:574.4(L) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
7 §574.4. Parole; eligibility; juvenile offenders
8 * * *
9 L.(1) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary and except as
10 provided in R.S. 15:574.22, any person serving a sentence of life imprisonment for
11 a conviction of second degree murder (R.S. 14:30.1) shall be eligible for parole
12 consideration pursuant to the provisions of this Subsection if all of the following
13 conditions have been met:
14 (a) The person was at least seventeen years of age and under the age of
15 twenty-five years at the time of the commission of the offense.
16 (b) The person's conviction for a violation of R.S. 14:30.1 is his first and
17 only felony conviction.
18 (c) The person has served at least thirty years of the sentence imposed.
19 (2) The provisions of this Subsection shall not apply to any of the following
20 individuals:
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-962 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 523
1 (a) A person serving a sentence of life imprisonment for a conviction of R.S.
2 14:30.
3 (b) A person convicted of a sex offense as defined in R.S. 15:541.
4 (c) A person convicted of any criminal offense that involves a victim who
5 is under the age of thirteen.
6 Section 2. This Act shall be known as and may be cited as the "Hope For
7 Redemption Act".
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 523 Original 2026 Regular Session Bryant
Abstract: Provides relative to parole eligibility for juvenile and certain other individuals.
Present law provides for parole eligibility.
Proposed law retains present law.
Proposed law provides that except as provided in present law (R.S. 15:574.22), any person
serving a sentence of life imprisonment for a conviction of second degree murder (R.S.
14:30.1) shall be eligible for parole consideration pursuant to the provisions of proposed law
if all of the following conditions have been met:
(1) The person was at least 17 years of age and under the age of 25 years at the time of
the commission of the offense.
(2) The person's conviction for second degree murder (R.S. 14:30.1) is his first and only
felony conviction.
(3) The person has served at least 30 years of the sentence imposed.
Proposed law does not extend to any of the following individuals:
(1) A person serving a sentence of life imprisonment for a conviction of first degree
murder (R.S. 14:30).
(2) A person convicted of a sex offense (R.S.15:541).
(3) A person convicted of any criminal offense that involves a victim who is under the
age of 13.
Proposed law shall be known as and may be cited as the "Hope For Redemption Act".
(Adds R.S. 15:574.4(L))
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.