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SB29 • 2026

PUBLIC HEALTH: Requires coroners to report certain information regarding sudden child deaths. (8/1/26) (EN NO IMPACT See Note)

PUBLIC HEALTH: Requires coroners to report certain information regarding sudden child deaths. (8/1/26) (EN NO IMPACT See Note)

Children Education Healthcare Parental Rights
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Patrick McMath
Last action
2026-06-02
Official status
Signed by the Governor - Act 732
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on how national health agencies will use the reported information.

Reporting Information About Sudden Child Deaths

This bill requires coroners to include specific information about immunizations in autopsy reports for children under nine who die unexpectedly, and report such cases to the Louisiana Department of Health.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires coroners to document any vaccines given within ninety days before a child's death if they die unexpectedly without explanation.
  • Coroners are granted access to a child's immunization records from the state registry when needed for an autopsy report.
  • If sudden infant or young child deaths are suspected, coroners must report these cases to the Louisiana Department of Health.
  • The Louisiana Department of Health is required to send reports about such cases to national health agencies like the CDC and NIH.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Coroners who perform autopsies on children under nine years old who die unexpectedly without explanation.
  • Parents or guardians whose child's death may be reported due to this law.
  • Healthcare providers and schools that maintain immunization records for children.

Terms To Know

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
The sudden, unexplained death of a seemingly healthy baby less than one year old.
Immunization registry
A database that stores vaccination records for individuals to track and manage immunizations.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if a coroner cannot access the child's immunization records.
  • It is unclear how this information will be used by national health agencies like CDC and NIH.
  • There are no details on penalties for non-compliance with reporting requirements.

Amendments

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

Filed

Plain English: HASBSB29 471 3499 SENATE SUMMARY OF HOUSE AMENDMENTS SB 29 2026 Regular Session McMath KEYWORD AND SUMMARY AS RETURNED TO THE SENATE PUBLIC HEALTH.

  • HASBSB29 471 3499 SENATE SUMMARY OF HOUSE AMENDMENTS SB 29 2026 Regular Session McMath KEYWORD AND SUMMARY AS RETURNED TO THE SENATE PUBLIC HEALTH.
  • Requires coroners to report certain information regarding sudden child deaths.
  • (8/1/26) SUMMARY OF HOUSE AMENDMENTS TO THE SENATE BILL 1.
  • Specifies that the child's full medical record be included in the autopsy report.
Adopted

Plain English: HFASB29 4921 5239 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY HOUSE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Representative Egan to Reengrossed Senate Bill No.

  • HFASB29 4921 5239 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY HOUSE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Representative Egan to Reengrossed Senate Bill No.
  • 29 by Senator McMath 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, at the end of line 10, insert "the child's full medical record, including" Page 1 of 1 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions.
Adopted

Plain English: SFASB29 3005 1119 SENATE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senator McMath to Engrossed Senate Bill No.

  • SFASB29 3005 1119 SENATE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senator McMath to Engrossed Senate Bill No.
  • 29 by Senator McMath 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 2, delete "R.S.
  • 13:5713(C)" and insert "R.S.
Adopted

Plain English: SCASB29 3005 776 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Health and Welfare to Original Senate Bill No.

  • SCASB29 3005 776 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Health and Welfare to Original Senate Bill No.
  • 29 by Senator McMath 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 2, after "R.S.
  • 13:5713(C)" insert "and to enact R.S.
Draft

Plain English: SCASB29 3005 652 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Health and Welfare to Original Senate Bill No.

  • SCASB29 3005 652 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Health and Welfare to Original Senate Bill No.
  • 29 by Senator McMath 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 2, after "R.S.
  • 13:5713(C)" insert "and to enact R.S.

Bill History

  1. 2026-06-02 S

    Effective date 8/1/2026.

  2. 2026-06-02 S

    Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 732.

  3. 2026-06-01 S

    Sent to the Governor by the Secretary of the Senate.

  4. 2026-06-01 H

    Signed by the Speaker of the House.

  5. 2026-06-01 S

    Enrolled. Signed by the President of the Senate.

  6. 2026-05-31 S

    Notice House adopted the Conference Committee Report.

  7. 2026-05-31 H

    Conference Committee Report read, roll called, yeas 85, nays 11. The Conference Committee Report was adopted.

  8. 2026-05-31 H

    Called from the calendar.

  9. 2026-05-31 H

    Read by title, returned to the calendar.

  10. 2026-05-29 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 05/31/2026.

  11. 2026-05-29 H

    Notice of Senate adoption of Conference Committee Report.

  12. 2026-05-29 S

    Conference Committee Report read; adopted by a vote of 36 yeas and 0 nays.

  13. 2026-05-27 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 05/29/2026.

  14. 2026-05-26 S

    Conference committee report received.

  15. 2026-05-26 H

    Conference Committee report received. Lies over under the rules.

  16. 2026-05-25 H

    Notice of Senate conferees appointed.

  17. 2026-05-21 S

    Senate conference committee members appointed: McMath, Luneau, and Owen.

  18. 2026-05-19 S

    Notice House Conference Committee members appointed.

  19. 2026-05-19 H

    House conferees appointed: Egan, Miller, and Berault.

  20. 2026-05-18 H

    Notice of Senate rejecting House amendments.

  21. 2026-05-18 S

    Amendments proposed by the House read and rejected by a vote of 35 yeas and 0 nays.

  22. 2026-05-11 S

    Received from the House with amendments.

  23. 2026-05-07 H

    Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 76, nays 12. Finally passed, ordered to the Senate.

  24. 2026-05-06 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 05/07/2026.

  25. 2026-05-06 H

    Read by title, passed to 3rd reading.

  26. 2026-05-05 H

    Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments.

  27. 2026-04-29 H

    Reported favorably (10-0). Referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  28. 2026-03-25 H

    Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.

  29. 2026-03-24 H

    Received in the House from the Senate, read by title, lies over under the rules.

  30. 2026-03-23 S

    Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title and passed by a vote of 35 yeas and 0 nays; ordered reengrossed and sent to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  31. 2026-03-16 S

    Read by title. Committee amendments read and adopted. Ordered engrossed and passed to third reading and final passage.

  32. 2026-03-11 S

    Reported with amendments.

  33. 2026-03-09 S

    Introduced in the Senate; read by title. Rules suspended. Read second time and referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.

  34. 2026-02-03 S

    Prefiled and under the rules provisionally referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.

Official Summary Text

PUBLIC HEALTH: Requires coroners to report certain information regarding sudden child deaths. (8/1/26) (EN NO IMPACT See Note)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
2026 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE BILL NO. 29
BY SENATORS MCMATH, ABRAHAM, BARROW, CARTER, CATHEY, HENRY,
HODGES, MIZELL, MYERS AND STINE AND REPRESENTATIVES
AMEDEE, BAYHAM, DICKERSON, GALLE, JACOB LANDRY,
MCMAKIN, OWEN, WRIGHT AND WYBLE
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 40:31.14(A) and to enact R.S. 13:5713(L), relative to autopsies
3 of children; to provide for access to immunization records; to provide for the review
4 of immunization records; to provide for reporting; and to provide for related matters.
5 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
6 Section 1. R.S. 13:5713(L) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
7 §5713. Duties; autopsies and investigations
8 * * *
9 L.(1) Any autopsy report, as provided for in R.S. 44:19, for a child under
10 the age of nine who dies unexpectedly without explanation shall include
11 documentation of any immunizations administered to the child within ninety
12 days before the child's death. The coroner or any individual contracted to
13 perform an autopsy on behalf of the coroner, including but not limited to a
14 forensic pathologist or his designee, shall be granted access to the child's
15 immunization records in the state immunization registry.
16 (2) If the coroner finds that the cause of death was Sudden Infant Death
17 Syndrome, Sudden Unexpected Infant Death, Sudden Arrhythmic Death
18 Syndrome, or Sudden Death in the Young, he shall report the case to the
19 Louisiana Department of Health. The Louisiana Department of Health shall
20 report the case to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the
21 National Institutes of Health's Sudden Unexpected Infant Death and Sudden
22 Death in the Young Case Registry.
23 (3) The inclusion of an immunization record in any report shall not
24 imply cause of death.
ACT No. 732
Page 1 of 2
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.
SB NO. 29 ENROLLED
1 Section 2. R.S. 40:31.14(A) is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
2 §31.14. Authorization of release of immunization records
3 A. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, immunization
4 records for use in an immunization registry shall not be considered privileged
5 communications between a healthcare provider and patient when such records are
6 used in accordance with the provisions of this Part. The Louisiana Department of
7 Health, public health units and their agents, providers, coroners or any individual
8 contracted to perform an autopsy on behalf of a coroner, parents or guardians,
9 schools, and early learning centers may obtain information from, or provide
10 information to, the immunization record of a client of any immunization registry
11 without the written consent of a client.
12 * * *
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
Page 2 of 2
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.