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HB741 • 2026

HOUSING: Provides relative to housing for victims of human trafficking

HOUSING: Provides relative to housing for victims of human trafficking

Children Elections Healthcare Housing Privacy
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Delisha Boyd
Last action
2026-05-29
Official status
Sent to Governor
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material did not specify any particular funding mechanism for the implementation of this law, leaving it unclear how local housing authorities would be funded to implement these changes.

Housing for Victims of Human Trafficking

This bill creates a new chapter in Louisiana's laws to provide housing vouchers and privacy protections for victims of human trafficking.

What This Bill Does

  • Creates a new law that gives local housing authorities the responsibility to prioritize housing vouchers for people who have been victims of human trafficking.
  • Requires local housing authorities to verify if someone applying for a voucher is truly a victim of human trafficking by looking at police reports, court orders, or medical professionals' statements.
  • Prohibits local housing authorities from sharing the address information of anyone receiving a voucher without their permission, unless ordered by a judge.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Victims of human trafficking who need help finding safe housing.
  • Local housing authorities that manage and distribute housing vouchers.
  • Government agencies, healthcare professionals, and legal representatives involved in verifying the status of victims.

Terms To Know

Voucher
A document or certificate that allows someone to receive a benefit, such as help with paying for housing.
Local Housing Authority
An organization in charge of managing and providing housing assistance within a specific area like a city or county.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if there are not enough vouchers to meet the demand.
  • It is unclear how local housing authorities will be funded to implement these changes.
  • The bill does not provide details on how privacy protections will be enforced or monitored.

Amendments

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

Filed

Plain English: The amendment changes who can verify if someone is a human trafficking survivor when they apply for housing vouchers.

  • Replaces an attorney with a district attorney or assistant district attorney as one of the parties that can verify an applicant's status as a human trafficking survivor.
  • The amendment text does not provide additional details about how verification by a district attorney or assistant district attorney differs from verification by an attorney, so this information is unknown.
Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes how housing authorities handle information about victims of human trafficking who receive vouchers for housing.

  • Adds a definition for a 'human trafficking survivor' as someone identified in a police report, protective order, or verified by certain professionals and organizations.
  • Requires local housing authorities to get permission from the person before sharing their address related to any housing voucher they receive.
  • Stops abusers or people suspected of abuse from giving consent to share information about minors, incapacitated individuals, or other parents of minors.
  • The amendment does not provide details on how informed consent is obtained or what qualifies as a 'qualified third party'.
Draft

Plain English: The amendment changes how housing authorities handle information about victims of human trafficking by specifying who can verify someone as a victim and limiting when their address can be shared.

  • Adds that a person is considered a human trafficking survivor if verified by certain professionals or organizations, including law enforcement reports, protective orders, health care professionals, government agencies, attorneys, or qualified third parties.
  • Requires local housing authorities to get informed consent from the victim before disclosing their address associated with any voucher given under this section.
  • Prohibits abusers or alleged abusers of minors, incapacitated persons, or other parents of minors from giving consent for release of information.
  • The amendment text does not specify all the details about how verification by a qualified third party works under R.S. 9:3261.1(B)(6).
Filed

Plain English: The amendment to HB741 involves the House voting on Senate amendments related to housing for victims of human trafficking.

  • The House voted to concur with Senate amendments regarding provisions for housing victims of human trafficking.
  • The official text does not specify the exact changes made by the Senate amendments, only that the House is voting to agree with them.
Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes the bill to allow a district attorney or an assistant district attorney to provide legal assistance instead of just an attorney.

  • Replaces 'an attorney' with 'a district attorney or assistant district attorney' in providing legal support.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-29 H

    Sent to the Governor for executive approval.

  2. 2026-05-28 S

    Signed by the President of the Senate.

  3. 2026-05-28 H

    Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.

  4. 2026-05-27 H

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

  5. 2026-05-26 H

    Scheduled for concurrence on 05/27/2026.

  6. 2026-05-25 H

    Received from the Senate with amendments.

  7. 2026-05-21 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.

  8. 2026-05-13 S

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

  9. 2026-05-12 S

    Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  10. 2026-05-11 S

    Reported favorably.

  11. 2026-04-27 S

    Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Local and Municipal Affairs.

  12. 2026-04-22 S

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

  13. 2026-04-22 H

    Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 93, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

  14. 2026-04-21 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 04/22/2026.

  15. 2026-04-20 H

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

  16. 2026-04-16 H

    Reported with amendments (14-0).

  17. 2026-03-09 H

    Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs.

  18. 2026-02-27 H

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

  19. 2026-02-27 H

    Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs.

  20. 2026-02-27 H

    Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

HOUSING: Provides relative to housing for victims of human trafficking

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
ENROLLED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 741
BY REPRESENTATIVES BOYD, ADAMS, BILLINGS, CHASSION, DOMANGUE,
FISHER, FREIBERG, GREEN, JORDAN, KNOX, LAFLEUR, TERRY LANDRY,
LARVADAIN, LYONS, MARTINEZ, MOORE, NEWELL, PHELPS, SPELL,
AND TAYLOR
1 AN ACT
2 To enact Chapter 3-I of Title 40 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, to be comprised
3 of R.S. 40:600.161, relative to housing for victims of human trafficking; to provide
4 for definitions; to provide for preference for housing vouchers; to provide for
5 verification; to provide for privacy for certain addresses; and to provide for related
6 matters.
7 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. Chapter 3-I of Title 40 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950,
9 comprised of R.S. 40:600.161, is hereby enacted to read as follows:
10 CHAPTER 3-I. HOUSING FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING SURVIVORS
11 §600.161. Housing vouchers; human trafficking survivors
12 A. For the purposes of this Chapter, the following terms have the following
13 meanings:
14 (1) "Local housing authority" means any parish or municipal housing
15 authority.
16 (2) "Voucher" means a voucher meant to assist with obtaining housing for
17 individuals who meet certain requirements which includes but are not limited to a
18 voucher given pursuant to United States Department of Housing and Urban
19 Development's Section 8 Housing.
20 B. Local housing authorities shall give preference for vouchers to human
21 trafficking survivors.
22 C. A local housing authority shall verify that the person applying for the
23 vouchers complies with all of the following:
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are additions.
HB NO. 741 ENROLLED
1 (1) Meets all standards and requirements outlined in the respective voucher
2 program.
3 (2) Is a human trafficking survivor as indicated in a law enforcement report
4 or protective order, or as verified by a healthcare professional, a government agency,
5 a district attorney or assistant district attorney, or a qualified third party as defined
6 by R.S. 9:3261.1(B)(6).
7 D. A local housing authority shall not disclose the address associated with
8 any voucher given pursuant to this Section without the informed consent of the
9 person about whom information is sought, or as directed by a court order. Consent
10 for release may not be given by the abuser or alleged abuser of any minor or
11 incapacitated person, or the abuser or alleged abuser of the other parent of the minor.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.