HB8 • 2026

RETIREMENT SYSTEMS: Provides relative to legislative staff attendance at executive sessions of meetings of any state or statewide retirement system board or committee (EN NO IMPACT APV)

Enacted

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

Sponsor: Tony Bacala
Last action: 2026-04-30
Official status: Signed by the Governor - Act 19
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide detailed information on how existing one-year authorizations will transition to the new four-year validity period.

Legislative Staff Attendance at Retirement System Meetings

This act changes the duration of written authorizations for legislative staff to attend private meetings of retirement system boards and committees.

What This Bill Does

Changes the validity period of written authorizations from one year to four years.

Who It Names or Affects

Legislative staff who receive written authorizations to attend executive sessions of state or statewide retirement system board meetings.
Directors of these retirement systems who issue and manage these authorizations.

Terms To Know

Authorization: A formal permission given in writing for legislative staff to attend executive sessions of meetings.
Executive session: A private meeting where sensitive or confidential matters are discussed.

Limits and Unknowns

The act does not specify the consequences if an authorization is revoked before the four-year period ends.
It's unclear how this change will affect existing authorizations that were valid for only one year.

Bill History

2026-04-30 H
Effective date: 08/01/2026.
2026-04-30 H
Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 19.
2026-04-28 H
Sent to the Governor for executive approval.
2026-04-27 S
Signed by the President of the Senate.
2026-04-27 H
Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
2026-04-23 H
Received from the Senate without amendments.
2026-04-22 S
Read by title, passed by a vote of 36 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
2026-04-15 S
Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
2026-04-14 S
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
2026-04-13 S
Reported favorably.
2026-03-31 S
Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Retirement.
2026-03-30 S
Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
2026-03-26 H
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 89, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
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 (11-0).
2026-03-09 H
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Retirement.
2026-01-23 H
First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 1/23/2026.
2026-01-13 H
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Retirement.
2026-01-13 H
Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

RETIREMENT SYSTEMS: Provides relative to legislative staff attendance at executive sessions of meetings of any state or statewide retirement system board or committee (EN NO IMPACT APV)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

ENROLLED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 8
BY REPRESENTATIVE BACALA
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 11:186(B), relative to legislative staff attendance at executive
3 sessions of meetings of any state or statewide retirement system board or committee;
4 to provide relative to authorization to attend executive sessions; to provide for
5 restrictions; and to provide for related matters.
6 Notice of intention to introduce this Act has been published
7 as provided by Article X, Section 29(C) of the Constitution
8 of Louisiana.
9 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
10 Section 1. R.S. 11:186(B) is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
11 §186. Authorization for staff to attend executive sessions
12 * * *
13 B.(1) An authorization made pursuant to the provisions of this Section shall
14 be made in writing, specifically name the legislative staff member or members
15 authorized to attend such executive sessions, and be submitted to the director of the
16 state or statewide retirement system board whose executive sessions staff shall be
17 authorized to attend. Such authorization shall be valid for one calendar year four
18 calendar years from the date of submission, unless modified or revoked as provided
19 in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection.
20 (2) The chairman of the House Committee on Retirement and the chairman
21 of the Senate Committee on Retirement are authorized to revoke or modify any
22 written authorization made pursuant to this Section at any time by providing written
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
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HB NO. 8 ENROLLED
1 notice to the director of the affected board. A revocation shall immediately
2 terminate the authorization made pursuant to this Section. A modification shall act
3 as a new written authorization and shall be valid for one calendar year four calendar
4 years from the date submitted.
5 * * *
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.