legislative priorities

The 2019 Louisiana Legislature opens in just a few weeks, and we need all hands on deck to pass as much criminal justice (CJ) reform legislation as possible. This year, our top priorities are:
  1. HB 518: Stop non-violent offenses from triggering extended penalties under the Habitual Offender statute;
  2. HB 402: Simplify the voter registration process for people with felony records;
  3. HB 65: Allow people with felony convictions to serve on a jury;
  4. HB 46: End prison-based gerrymandering and count incarcerated people as residents where they come from, not as residents of the prison;
  5. HB 351: Ensure people are advised of all collateral punishments before pleading guilty to a crime;
  6. SB 98: Reduce expungement wait times from 10 years (after the sentence ends) down to 5;
  7. SB 146: Stop district attorneys from arresting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault for failure to cooperate as witnesses;
  8. HB 541: Improve the Veterans Mentorship Program, which was drafted and won by currently incarcerated veterans last year;
  9. HB 171 and SB 108: Prevent an increase in the cost of bail by defending against these predatory bills; and
  10. Protect our wins from the past few years
...and more! Please tell your friends and family to join us on May 6, 2019, when hundreds of CJ reform advocates will gather at the State Capitol in Baton Rouge to learn more and let the elected officials know whose house it is, and who they’re representing. Watch last year's Facebook live videos (part 1, part 2) from Lobby Day to learn more! *Note: transportation is available from multiple locations across the state.
Download the Legislative Priorities one-pager.
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bill tracker

This Bill Tracker will be updated throughout the legislative session, so check back in! As bills are heard and move through each stage in the process of becoming a law, we will move them to the corresponding categories in blue.

VOTE's positions on the bills are as follows:
​Red - Oppose
​Green - Support
​Yellow - Amend or Neutral

​Click on a bill number to track its progress on the Legislature's website, and click on the 1-pagers in the 'Comments' section to read and download more info about the bill.

​*Note: The public can attend and speak at Committee hearings, but not Floor Hearings. We strongly encourage our members and allies to come out to Committee hearings and move the reforms we need forward!

​To learn more about the process and how to get involved, join us on May 6 for the 3rd annual Lobby Day!

EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS

Check out our video of VOTE members walking us through the steps of how a bill becomes a law, VOTE style!
Check out our video of VOTE members learning why it's so important for legislators to hear from people most impacted by the criminal (in)justice system, and how to do it!
SUPPORT US