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HB847 • 2026

DISTRICTS/WATER CONSERVN: Provides for the election, duties, and requirements of district supervisors of the soil and water conservation commission (EN DECREASE LF EX See Note)

DISTRICTS/WATER CONSERVN: Provides for the election, duties, and requirements of district supervisors of the soil and water conservation commission (EN DECREASE LF EX See Note)

Agriculture Elections
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Rhonda Butler
Last action
2026-05-15
Official status
Signed by the Governor - Act 180
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details about the exact rules and regulations to carry out these changes.

Elections and Duties for Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisors

This act changes the rules for electing supervisors of soil and water conservation districts in Louisiana, including when nomination petitions can be filed, who can sign them, and how elections are conducted.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes when nomination petitions can be filed after a district is organized.
  • Sets rules for who can sign nomination petitions and the number of signatures required.
  • Specifies that only qualified voters can vote in these elections.
  • Requires the state commission to pay for election expenses, supervise voting, and publish results.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Supervisors of soil and water conservation districts in Louisiana
  • Qualified voters who can vote in these district elections

Terms To Know

qualified voter
A person who meets the requirements to vote in a specific election.
nominating petition
A document used to nominate someone for an elected position.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The act does not specify what happens if there are fewer than three candidates.
  • It is unclear how the state commission will handle elections before August 1, 2026.

Amendments

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

Plain English: HFAHB847 4573 2680 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY HOUSE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Representative Butler to Engrossed House Bill No.

  • HFAHB847 4573 2680 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY HOUSE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Representative Butler to Engrossed House Bill No.
  • 847 by Representative Butler 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 3, after "for the" and before "soil and" insert "state" 3 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 2 4 On page 2, at the beginning of line 18, delete "are authorized to" and insert "may" 5 AMENDMENT NO.

Plain English: HCAHB847 4573 2556 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development to Original House Bill No.

  • HCAHB847 4573 2556 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development to Original House Bill No.
  • 847 by Representative Butler 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 16, after "unless" and before "subscribed" delete "it shall be" and insert "the 3 registrar of voters in the parish where the signers reside has certified, pursuant to R.S.
  • 18:3, 4 that the petition has been" 5 AMENDMENT NO.

Plain English: HCAHB847 4573 1992 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development to Original House Bill No.

  • HCAHB847 4573 1992 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development to Original House Bill No.
  • 847 by Representative Butler 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 16, after "unless" and before "subscribed" delete "it shall be" and insert "the 3 registrar of voters in the parish where the signers reside has certified, pursuant to R.S.
  • 18:3, 4 that the petition has been" 5 AMENDMENT NO.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-15 H

    Effective date: 08/01/2026.

  2. 2026-05-15 H

    Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 180.

  3. 2026-05-14 H

    Sent to the Governor for executive approval.

  4. 2026-05-14 S

    Signed by the President of the Senate.

  5. 2026-05-13 H

    Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.

  6. 2026-05-13 H

    Received from the Senate without amendments.

  7. 2026-05-12 S

    Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 33 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  8. 2026-05-04 S

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

  9. 2026-04-29 S

    Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  10. 2026-04-28 S

    Reported favorably.

  11. 2026-04-08 S

    Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development.

  12. 2026-04-07 S

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

  13. 2026-04-01 H

    Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 95, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

  14. 2026-03-31 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 04/01/2026.

  15. 2026-03-30 H

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

  16. 2026-03-26 H

    Reported with amendments (14-0).

  17. 2026-03-09 H

    Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development.

  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 Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development.

  20. 2026-02-27 H

    Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

DISTRICTS/WATER CONSERVN: Provides for the election, duties, and requirements of district supervisors of the soil and water conservation commission (EN DECREASE LF EX See Note)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
ENROLLED
ACT No. 1802026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 847
BY REPRESENTATIVE BUTLER
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 3:1206(A) and 1207(C) and (G) and to enact R.S. 3:1206(C),
3 relative to the election of district supervisors for the state soil and water conservation
4 commission; to establish the method and administration of elections; to provide for
5 supervisor terms, the filling of vacancies, and eligibility requirements for
6 reappointment or reelection; and to provide for related matters.
7 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 3:1206(A) and 1207(C) and (G) are hereby amended and reenacted
9 and R.S. 3:1206(C) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
10 §1206. Election of three supervisors for each district
11 A. Within thirty days after the date of issuance by the secretary of state of
12 a certificate of organization of a soil and water conservation district, nomination
13 petitions may be filed with the state soil and water conservation commission to
14 nominate candidates for supervisors of the district. The commission shall have
15 authority to extend the time within which nominating petitions may be filed. No
16 nominating petition shall be accepted by the board, unless it shall be the registrar of
17 voters in the parish where the signers reside has certified, pursuant to R.S. 18:3, that
18 the petition has been subscribed by twenty-five or more qualified voters within the
19 district. who are qualified to vote under the constitution and law of this state.
20 Qualified voters may sign more than one such nominating petition to nominate more
21 than one candidate for supervisor. The commission shall give due notice of an
22 election to be held for the election of three supervisors for the district. The names
Page 1 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 847 ENROLLED
1 of all nominees on behalf of whom nominating petitions have been filed within the
2 time herein designated in this Subsection shall be printed, arranged in the
3 alphabetical order of the surnames, upon ballots, with a square before each name and
4 a direction to insert an X mark in the square before any three names to indicate the
5 voter's preference. All qualified voters within the district who are qualified to vote
6 under the constitution and laws of this state shall be eligible to vote in the election.
7 Only qualified voters shall be eligible to vote. submitted to the secretary of state as
8 candidates in an election to be held by the secretary of state as a private election.
9 The three candidates who shall receive the largest number, respectively, of the votes
10 cast in such the election shall be the elected supervisors for such the district. The
11 state commission shall pay all the expenses of such election, shall supervise the
12 conduct thereof, shall prescribe regulations governing the conduct of such election,
13 and shall publish the results thereof.
14 * * *
15 C. The secretary of state and the commissioner of agriculture and forestry
16 may adopt rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the intent and
17 purposes of this Section.
18 §1207. Appointment, qualifications, tenure of supervisors
19 * * *
20 C. The three elected supervisors of the district shall be elected annually, one
21 each year., These elections of supervisors shall be held throughout the state
22 regularly on the second Saturday in June, each year, in accordance with the general
23 procedure and in the manner prescribed in R.S. 3:1206. Terms of office of all
24 supervisors so elected shall begin on July 1st first, following the date of their
25 election. All supervisors presently in office and serving on the governing body of
26 a conservation district, shall remain in office until their terms expire, but from and
27 after August 1st, 1956, all vacancies shall be filled in the manner above prescribed,
28 and whenever the term of any supervisor expires, it shall be filled by an election to
29 be held on the second Saturday in June after the expiration of said term.
30 * * *
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are additions.
HB NO. 847 ENROLLED
1 G. Any supervisor may be removed by the commission upon notice and
2 hearing, for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office, but for no other reason. A
3 supervisor shall not qualify for reappointment or reelection unless he shall have
4 attended at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent of the scheduled district meetings,
5 within a twelve month period, provided, however, upon a showing of good cause,
6 this condition may be waived by resolution duly adopted by the state soil and water
7 conservation commission.
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.