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HB761 • 2026

HEALTH/CANCER: Provides with respect to the advisory board created to recommend new treatments for rare cancers (RE1 NO IMPACT See Note)

HEALTH/CANCER: Provides with respect to the advisory board created to recommend new treatments for rare cancers (RE1 NO IMPACT See Note)

Healthcare
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Stephanie Hilferty
Last action
2026-05-29
Official status
Adopted in House concurrence
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details about the number of additional oncologists or their exact roles, only that there are more than before.

Health/Cancer Advisory Board for Rare Cancers

This bill revises the composition and reporting requirements of an advisory board that recommends new treatments for rare cancers.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the membership of the advisory board by replacing a representative from Taking Aim at Cancer in Louisiana with one from the Cancer Association of Louisiana.
  • Increases the number of oncologists on the board to provide more expertise in treating rare cancers.
  • Requires the advisory board to submit formal written reports to specific legislative committees within 45 days after each meeting, instead of 30 days.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People with rare cancers who may benefit from new treatments recommended by the advisory board.
  • Healthcare professionals and organizations involved in treating rare cancers, such as oncologists and cancer research centers.
  • Legislative committees responsible for receiving reports from the advisory board.

Terms To Know

Advisory Board
A group of experts who provide recommendations to a government agency or department.
Oncologist
A doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if the governor vetoes it.
  • It is unclear how many new oncologists will join the board, only that there are more than before.
  • The exact impact on patients with rare cancers is not detailed in the summary.

Amendments

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

Plain English: The amendment changes the deadline for submitting written reports from 30 days to 45 days after each meeting and updates who receives these reports.

  • Extends the time limit for submitting written reports from 30 days to 45 days following each advisory board meeting.
  • Changes the recipients of the written reports from the legislature to the House and Senate committees on insurance.
  • The amendment text does not provide details about other technical changes mentioned, so these are not included in this summary.

Plain English: The amendment changes who can appoint members to the advisory board and adds rules about when the new law will take effect.

  • Changes the way members of the advisory board are appointed, specifying that a designee from The Cancer Association of Louisiana should make these appointments.
  • Adds details on how and when the new law will become active after it is passed.
  • The amendment text does not explain what 'effectiveness' means in this context, so its full impact is unclear.

Plain English: The amendment to HB761 is about agreeing with changes made by the Senate regarding an advisory board for rare cancer treatments.

  • The House agrees to the amendments made by the Senate on HB761, which relates to the advisory board for recommending new treatments for rare cancers.
  • The official amendment text does not provide specific details about what changes were made by the Senate or what exactly is being concurred in. The summary provided reflects only that the House agrees with the Senate's amendments.

Plain English: The amendment makes small changes to how a board that recommends new treatments for rare cancers operates.

  • Changes 'The' to 'the' at the beginning of line 2 on page 2.
  • Replaces 'Within' with 'Within' after 'chairperson.' on line 16 of page 2.
  • Modifies 'forty-five days of' to 'No later than forty-five days of after' at the start of line 17 on page 2.
  • The changes are very minor and do not provide clear information about how they affect the board's operations or its recommendations for rare cancer treatments.

Plain English: The amendment makes small changes to how a board that recommends new treatments for rare cancers operates.

  • Changes 'The' to 'the' at the beginning of line 2 on page 2.
  • Replaces 'Within' with 'Within' after 'chairperson.' on line 16 of page 2.
  • Modifies 'forty-five days of' to 'No later than forty-five days of after' at the start of line 17 on page 2.
  • The changes are very minor and do not provide clear information about what these adjustments mean in practice.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-29 H

    Read by title, roll called, yeas 100, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.

  2. 2026-05-29 H

    Scheduled for concurrence on 05/29/2026.

  3. 2026-05-28 H

    Received from the Senate with amendments.

  4. 2026-05-28 S

    The amended bill was read by title, passed by a vote of 34 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  5. 2026-05-27 S

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

  6. 2026-05-27 S

    Rules suspended. Reported with amendments. Rules suspended. Committee amendments read and adopted. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  7. 2026-04-20 S

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

  8. 2026-04-15 S

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

  9. 2026-04-14 H

    Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 98, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

  10. 2026-04-13 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 04/14/2026.

  11. 2026-04-09 H

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

  12. 2026-04-08 H

    Reported favorably (12-0).

  13. 2026-03-09 H

    Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Insurance.

  14. 2026-02-27 H

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

  15. 2026-02-27 H

    Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Insurance.

  16. 2026-02-27 H

    Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

HEALTH/CANCER: Provides with respect to the advisory board created to recommend new treatments for rare cancers (RE1 NO IMPACT See Note)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HLS 26RS-987 REENGROSSED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 761
BY REPRESENTATIVES HILFERTY, ADAMS, BAYHAM, BILLINGS, WILFORD
CARTER, CHASSION, FISHER, GREEN, LACOMBE, LAFLEUR, TERRY
LANDRY, LARVADAIN, MARCELLE, MARTINEZ, PHELPS, SPELL,
TAYLOR, WALTERS, AND ZERINGUE
HEALTH/CANCER: Provides with respect to the advisory board created to recommend
new treatments for rare cancers
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 22:1076.1, relative to the advisory board for rare cancer
3 treatments; to provide for revisions to board composition; to provide for meetings
4 and reporting; to provide for effectiveness; and to provide for related matters.
5 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
6 Section 1. R.S. 22:1076.1 is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
7 §1076.1. Advisory board; composition; recommendations for treatment of rare
8 cancers; meetings; rulemaking
9 A. There is hereby created within the department an advisory board that shall
10 review and provide medical recommendations to approve new treatments for rare
11 cancers. The advisory board shall be composed of the following seventeen
12 members:
13 (1) The commissioner or his designee.
14 (2) The secretary or designee of the Louisiana Department of Health.
15 (3) The Medicaid Director or designee of the Louisiana Department of
16 Health.
17 (4) The surgeon general or his designee.
Page 1 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-987 REENGROSSED
HB NO. 761
1 (5) The executive director or designee of Taking Aim at Cancer in Louisiana
2 The Cancer Association of Louisiana.
3 (6) The chief executive officer of the Louisiana Association of Health Plans.
4 (7) The chief medical officer or designee of a managed care organization.
5 (8) The director or designee of the Louisiana Tumor Registry.
6 (9) The director or designee of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
7 (10) A designee of the Louisiana Cancer Research Center.
8 (11) A designee of the LSU Health Sciences Center at New Orleans,
9 specializing in oncology.
10 (12) A designee of the Tulane Medical School, specializing in oncology.
11 (13) A designee of the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine.
12 (14) Two Four oncologists specializing in the treatments of rare cancers.
13 B.(1) The chairperson of the advisory board shall be the executive director
14 or designee of the Louisiana Cancer Research Center.
15 (2) The advisory board shall hold quarterly public meetings unless otherwise
16 provided by vote of the advisory board or by order of the chairperson. Within thirty
17 forty-five days of each meeting, the advisory board shall compile a report of its
18 findings and submit a formal written report to the legislature House Committee on
19 Insurance and the Senate Committee on Insurance.
20 C. The commissioner may promulgate and adopt administrative rules and
21 regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act as are necessary to
22 implement the provisions of this Section.
23 Section 2. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not
24 signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature
25 by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If
26 vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become
27 effective on the day following such approval.
Page 2 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-987 REENGROSSED
HB NO. 761
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 761 Reengrossed 2026 Regular Session Hilferty
Abstract: Revises the composition of the advisory board for rare cancer treatments and
provides for meetings and reporting requirements.
Present law provides that the chairperson of the advisory board is the executive director or
designee of the La. Cancer Research Center.
Proposed law changes the executive director or a designee of Taking Aim at Cancer in La.
to the executive director of the Cancer Association of Louisiana to serve on the board.
Proposed law revises the board’s composition by increasing the number of oncologists who
sit on the board.
Present law creates an advisory board within the Dept. of Insurance to review and provide
medical recommendations for new treatments for rare cancers.
Present law requires the advisory board to hold quarterly public meetings unless otherwise
provided.
Proposed law changes the deadline for submitting written reports to the legislature from 30
to 45 days after each meeting and also requires that the reports be submitted to the House
and Senate committees on insurance, instead of the legislature.
Present law authorizes the commissioner to promulgate rules necessary to implement the
provisions of present law.
Proposed law retains present law.
Effective upon signature of governor or lapse of time for gubernatorial action.
(Amends R.S. 22:1076.1)
Summary of Amendments Adopted by House
The House Floor Amendments to the engrossed bill:
1. Changes one of the designated entities of the advisory board from Taking Aim
at Cancer in La. to the Cancer Association of La.
2. Establish an effective date upon the signature of the governor.
3. Make technical changes.
Page 3 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.