KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Louisiana

SB45 • 2026

HEALTH SERVICES: Provides relative to hospice care. (gov sig) (EN SEE FISC NOTE GF EX See Note)

HEALTH SERVICES: Provides relative to hospice care. (gov sig) (EN SEE FISC NOTE GF EX See Note)

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
William "Bill" Wheat , Jr.
Last action
2026-05-25
Official status
Sent to Governor
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information on medication management, so this claim was removed.

Hospice Care Exemption Act

This act creates an exemption for nonprofit organizations providing free end-of-life care to terminally ill patients, allowing them to operate without a license under certain conditions.

What This Bill Does

  • Creates an exemption from hospice licensure requirements for nonprofit organizations providing gratuitous end-of-life care in home-like settings.
  • Requires these organizations to offer services at no cost and not accept payments from Medicare, Medicaid, or other health insurance programs.
  • Limits the number of patients to three individuals per location with private bedrooms.
  • Treats the organization as the patient's place of residence for home hospice care purposes.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Nonprofit organizations providing end-of-life care without charge
  • Terminally ill patients receiving care from these organizations

Terms To Know

Gratuitous Care
Care provided at no cost to the patient or their family.
Licensure Requirements
Legal requirements that must be met for an organization to operate legally and provide certain services.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The act only applies to nonprofit organizations meeting specific criteria.
  • It does not specify what happens if the governor vetoes or signs the bill.

Amendments

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

Filed

Plain English: The amendment makes technical changes to the bill that allows certain nonprofit organizations to provide end-of-life care without needing a license, as long as they meet specific criteria.

  • Adds an exemption for nonprofit organizations providing gratuitous end-of-life care in a home-like setting if they meet specified conditions.
  • Specifies that these exempted organizations will be treated as the patient's residence for hospice care purposes.
  • Ensures medications prescribed to patients are handled similarly to how they would be in a regular home setting.
  • The exact technical changes made by the amendment are not detailed enough to explain fully without additional context.
Adopted

Plain English: HCASB45 4465 5096 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Health and Welfare to Engrossed Senate Bill No.

  • HCASB45 4465 5096 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Health and Welfare to Engrossed Senate Bill No.
  • 45 by Senator Wheat 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 13, delete "organization:" and insert "organization meets all of the 3 following criteria:" Page 1 of 1 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions.
Draft

Plain English: HCASB45 4465 4909 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Health and Welfare to Engrossed Senate Bill No.

  • HCASB45 4465 4909 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Health and Welfare to Engrossed Senate Bill No.
  • 45 by Senator Wheat 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 13, delete "organization:" and insert "organization meets all of the 3 following criteria:" Page 1 of 1 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions.
Adopted

Plain English: SCASB45 3005 779 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Health and Welfare to Original Senate Bill No.

  • SCASB45 3005 779 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Health and Welfare to Original Senate Bill No.
  • 45 by Senator Wheat 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 2, line 2, after "time" insert "at any single location owned or operated by the 3 nonprofit organization" Page 1 of 1
Draft

Plain English: SCASB45 3005 688 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Health and Welfare to Original Senate Bill No.

  • SCASB45 3005 688 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Health and Welfare to Original Senate Bill No.
  • 45 by Senator Wheat 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 2, line 2, after "time" insert "at any single location owned or operated by the 3 nonprofit organization" Page 1 of 1

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-25 H

    Signed by the Speaker of the House.

  2. 2026-05-21 S

    Sent to the Governor by the Secretary of the Senate.

  3. 2026-05-20 S

    Enrolled. Signed by the President of the Senate.

  4. 2026-05-19 S

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

  5. 2026-05-13 S

    Received from the House with amendments.

  6. 2026-05-13 H

    Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 94, nays 0. Finally passed, ordered to the Senate.

  7. 2026-05-12 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 05/13/2026.

  8. 2026-05-11 H

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

  9. 2026-05-07 H

    Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments.

  10. 2026-05-06 H

    Reported with amendments (9-0). Referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  11. 2026-03-23 H

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

  12. 2026-03-18 H

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

  13. 2026-03-17 S

    Read by title, passed by a vote of 37 yeas and 0 nays, and sent to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  14. 2026-03-16 S

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

  15. 2026-03-11 S

    Reported with amendments.

  16. 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.

  17. 2026-02-12 S

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

Official Summary Text

HEALTH SERVICES: Provides relative to hospice care. (gov sig) (EN SEE FISC NOTE GF EX See Note)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
2026 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE BILL NO. 45
BY SENATOR WHEAT
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 40:2183.1, relative to hospice care; to exempt certain organizations from
3 hospice licensure; to provide for criteria for exempted organizations; to provide for
4 services performed at an exempted organization; to provide for an effective date; and
5 to provide for related matters.
6 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. R.S. 40:2183.1 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
8 §2183.1. Exemption from licensure; gratuitous care
9 A. The licensure requirements provided for in this Part and R.S.
10 40:2120.1 et seq., relative to licensure of home- and community-based service
11 providers, shall not apply to a nonprofit organization that provides gratuitous
12 end-of-life care to terminally ill patients in a home-like setting if the
13 organization meets all of the following criteria:
14 (1) Provides accommodations and services at no cost to the patient or the
15 patient's family.
16 (2) Does not receive any payments from Medicare, Medicaid, or any
17 other public or private health insurance.
18 (3) Provides individual private bedrooms for no more than three patients
19 at a time at any single location owned or operated by the nonprofit
20 organization.
21 B. Any organization that satisfies the criteria provided in Subsection A
22 of this Section shall be treated as the patient's place of residence for purposes
23 of home hospice care.
24 C. Any medication prescribed for the patient in accordance with the
25 patient's plan of care shall be delivered, stored, and administered in the same
26 manner as if the patient was in a home setting.
27 D. The patient's licensed hospice provider shall prepare and manage the
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. 45 ENROLLED
1 patient's plan of care.
2 E. An individual designated by the organization as the patient's caregiver
3 may perform any delegated tasks in the same manner as a family member
4 serving as a caregiver in a home setting. An individual's licensing credentials
5 shall not prevent the individual from performing tasks in a caregiver capacity.
6 A licensed healthcare professional may delegate tasks to an individual serving
7 as a caregiver in accordance with the patient's plan of care. A licensed
8 healthcare professional who delegates caregiver tasks in accordance with the
9 provisions of this Section and who is acting in good faith and with reasonable
10 care shall be immune from disciplinary or adverse administrative actions from
11 the individual's respective licensing board.
12 Section 2. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not
13 signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature
14 by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If
15 vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become
16 effective on the day following such approval.
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.