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SLS 26RS-135 REENGROSSED
2026 Regular Session
SENATE BILL NO. 29
BY SENATORS MCMATH, ABRAHAM, BARROW, CARTER, CATHEY, HENRY,
HODGES, MIZELL, MYERS AND STINE
PUBLIC HEALTH. Requires coroners to report certain information regarding sudden child
deaths. (8/1/26)
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 fifteen 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
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.
SB NO. 29
SLS 26RS-135 REENGROSSED
1 Syndrome, or Sudden Death in the Young, he shall report the case to the
2 Louisiana Department of Health. The Louisiana Department of Health shall
3 report the case to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the
4 National Institutes of Health's Sudden Unexpected Infant Death and Sudden
5 Death in the Young Case Registry.
6 (3) The inclusion of an immunization record in any report shall not
7 imply cause of death.
8 Section 2. R.S. 40:31.14(A) is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
9 §31.14. Authorization of release of immunization records
10 A. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, immunization
11 records for use in an immunization registry shall not be considered privileged
12 communications between a healthcare provider and patient when such records are
13 used in accordance with the provisions of this Part. The Louisiana Department of
14 Health, public health units and their agents, providers, coroners or any individual
15 contracted to perform an autopsy on behalf of a coroner, parents or guardians,
16 schools, and early learning centers may obtain information from, or provide
17 information to, the immunization record of a client of any immunization registry
18 without the written consent of a client.
19 * * *
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Senate Legislative Services.
The keyword, summary, 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)]
DIGEST
SB 29 Reengrossed 2026 Regular Session McMath
Present law requires the coroner to perform or cause to be performed an autopsy in all cases
of infants under the age of one year who die unexpectedly without explanation.
Proposed law retains present law.
Proposed law requires a review of a child's immunization records through the state
immunization registry for any child under the age of fifteen who dies unexpectedly without
explanation or the death investigation.
Proposed law requires the autopsy report for any child under the age of one who dies
unexpectedly without explanation or the death investigation report for any child under the
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.
SB NO. 29
SLS 26RS-135 REENGROSSED
age of 15 who dies unexpectedly without explanation to include documentation of any
immunizations administered to the child within 90 days of the child's death.
Proposed law authorizes the coroner or any individual contracted to perform an autopsy on
behalf of the coroner to access immunization records through the immunization registry.
Present law requires the coroner to notify the director of the parish health unit if he finds that
the cause of death was Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Proposed law requires the coroner to report to the La. Dept. of Health if he finds that the
cause of a child's death was Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Sudden Unexpected Infant
Death, Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome, or Sudden Death in the Young.
Proposed law requires the La. Dept. of Health to report the case to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health's Sudden Unexpected Infant
Death and Sudden Death in the Young Case Registry.
Proposed law provides that the inclusion of an immunization record in any report does not
imply cause of death.
Effective August 1, 2026.
(Amends R.S. 40:31.14(A); adds R.S. 13:5713(L))
Summary of Amendments Adopted by Senate
Committee Amendments Proposed by Senate Committee on Health and Welfare to
the original bill
1. Reverts autopsy requirements for children who die unexpectedly and without
cause to present law requirements.
2. Changes proposed law reporting requirement from a mandatory autopsy
report requirement to inclusion in existing reports prepared by the coroner or
competent physician designated by the coroner.
3. Provides that the inclusion of an immunization record in any report does not
imply cause of death.
Senate Floor Amendments to engrossed bill
1. Consolidates provisions relative to the inclusion of immunization records in
reports prepared by the coroner or the coroner's designee.
2. Changes the entity that is required to report to the federal registry.
3. Adds authorization for the coroner or any individual contracted to perform
an autopsy on behalf of the coroner to access immunization records through
the immunization registry.
Page 3 of 3
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.