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SB66 • 2026

CHILDREN: Provides for testimony of medical experts in child custody and in need of care cases. (8/1/26)

CHILDREN: Provides for testimony of medical experts in child custody and in need of care cases. (8/1/26)

Children Healthcare
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Valarie Hodges
Last action
2026-04-30
Official status
Signed by the Governor - Act 9
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

CHILDREN: Provides for testimony of medical experts in child custody and in need of care cases. (8/1/26)

CHILDREN: Provides for testimony of medical experts in child custody and in need of care cases.

What This Bill Does

  • CHILDREN: Provides for testimony of medical experts in child custody and in need of care cases.
  • (8/1/26)

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

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

Adopted

Plain English: SCASB66 4335 1769 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Judiciary A to Original Senate Bill No.

  • SCASB66 4335 1769 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Judiciary A to Original Senate Bill No.
  • 66 by Senator Hodges 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 3, change "360.2" to "360.1" 3 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 2 4 On page 1, line 5, delete "to provide with respect to a motion for continuances in certain" 5 AMENDMENT NO.
Draft

Plain English: SCASB66 4335 1720 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Judiciary A to Original Senate Bill No.

  • SCASB66 4335 1720 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Judiciary A to Original Senate Bill No.
  • 66 by Senator Hodges 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 17, after "witnesses" insert ", absent extenuating circumstances that 3 would prohibit this procedure" 4 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 2 5 On page 2, at the beginning of line 4, insert "when practical," Page 1 of 1
Draft

Plain English: SCASB66 4335 1702 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Judiciary A to Original Senate Bill No.

  • SCASB66 4335 1702 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Judiciary A to Original Senate Bill No.
  • 66 by Senator Hodges 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 3, change "360.2" to "360.1" 3 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 2 4 On page 1, line 5, delete "to provide with respect to a motion for continuances in certain" 5 AMENDMENT NO.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-30 S

    Effective date 8/1/2026.

  2. 2026-04-30 S

    Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 9.

  3. 2026-04-29 S

    Sent to the Governor by the Secretary of the Senate.

  4. 2026-04-29 H

    Signed by the Speaker of the House.

  5. 2026-04-29 S

    Enrolled. Signed by the President of the Senate.

  6. 2026-04-28 S

    Received from the House without amendments.

  7. 2026-04-28 H

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

  8. 2026-04-27 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 04/28/2026.

  9. 2026-04-27 H

    Read by title, passed to 3rd reading.

  10. 2026-04-23 H

    Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments.

  11. 2026-04-22 H

    Reported favorably (6-0). Referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  12. 2026-04-14 H

    Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.

  13. 2026-04-13 H

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

  14. 2026-04-13 S

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

  15. 2026-04-08 S

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

  16. 2026-04-07 S

    Rules suspended. Reported with amendments.

  17. 2026-03-09 S

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

  18. 2026-02-19 S

    Prefiled and under the rules provisionally referred to the Committee on Judiciary A.

Official Summary Text

CHILDREN: Provides for testimony of medical experts in child custody and in need of care cases. (8/1/26)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
2026 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE BILL NO. 66
BY SENATOR HODGES AND REPRESENTATIVES CHENEVERT, EDMONSTON
AND LARVADAIN
1 AN ACT
2 To enact Subpart I of Part III of Chapter 1 of Code Title V of Code Book I of Title 9 of the
3 Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, to be comprised of R.S. 9:360 through 360.1,
4 relative to child custody; to provide relative to testimony of medical experts in
5 certain circumstances; to provide relative to trial procedure in certain circumstances;
6 and to provide for related matters.
7 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. Subpart I of Part III of Chapter 1 of Code Title V of Code Book I of Title
9 9 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, comprised of R.S. 9:360 through 360.1, is
10 hereby enacted to read as follows:
11 SUBPART I. MEDICAL EXPERT TESTIMONY
12 §360. Medical expert testimony; priority for trial
13 In any proceeding in which a medical expert has been subpoenaed to
14 testify based upon allegations of abuse or neglect of a child, the court shall take
15 the testimony of the medical expert in priority to the parties and other
16 witnesses, absent extenuating circumstances that would prohibit this procedure.
17 The court shall take the testimony of the medical expert for all purposes by
18 which the medical expert's appearance is responsive to a subpoena.
19 §360.1. Applicability
ACT No. 9
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. 66 ENROLLED
1 The provisions of this Subpart shall apply to child custody proceedings
2 pursuant to Title V of the Civil Code and child in need of care proceedings
3 pursuant to Title VI of the Children's Code.
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.