BATON ROUGE, La. — The Louisiana Legislature concluded its 2026 regular session after approving a $46.2 billion state operating budget, adopting a new congressional map and advancing a range of measures affecting education, workforce development, government transparency and economic development.
The three-month session ended with fewer budget disputes than in recent years, despite growing concerns about state finances amid lower-than-expected income tax collections and federal spending reductions. Lawmakers approved the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 and completed work on spending plans and congressional redistricting days before the session deadline.
The budget includes increased funding for state prison systems, economic development initiatives, early childhood education, foster care services and Medicaid programs for individuals with developmental disabilities and nursing home residents. Lawmakers also continued payments toward retirement debt, legal judgments against the state and Louisiana’s share of federal storm recovery costs.
The Senate again rejected Gov. Jeff Landry’s request to expand the LA GATOR education savings account program, keeping funding at approximately $44 million for about 5,700 students. Meanwhile, lawmakers did not include funding for the teacher and school support worker stipends that have been provided during the past three years. Landry has pledged to find funding for continued payments and a permanent teacher pay raise.
To finance infrastructure projects and other one-time expenditures, lawmakers authorized the withdrawal of $850 million from the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund, reducing the account balance to approximately $1.5 billion. The largest allocations include $387 million for road and bridge work, $145 million for economic development initiatives and $85 million for state-financed construction projects. Another $83 million was allocated to local legislative projects and earmarks.
The Legislature also approved new authority for public colleges and universities to raise tuition and fees and enacted liability protections and tax incentives intended to support growth in Louisiana’s aerospace sector. Additional legislation imposed new regulations on pharmacy benefit management companies involved in negotiating prescription drug prices.
Several measures affecting public records and transparency were approved during the session. Lawmakers expanded exemptions allowing public colleges to withhold information about applicants for top administrative and athletic positions until finalists are selected. The Legislature also approved exemptions shielding certain donor information and records related to public funding used for college athlete compensation programs.
At the same time, lawmakers revised provisions related to “protected individuals,” narrowing circumstances under which personal information posted online could trigger legal action and preserving public access to records maintained by ethics officials and court clerks.
A major issue during the session involved congressional redistricting. After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Louisiana’s previous congressional map unconstitutional, lawmakers approved a new six-district map that reduces the number of majority-Black districts from two to one. Gov. Landry signed the measure into law, though additional legal challenges are expected. Candidates will run under the new map during the Nov. 3 elections.
Lawmakers also approved the creation of a new workforce development office intended to coordinate training programs, assist employers in locating workforce resources and improve management of federal workforce funding. New requirements were added for schools to provide students with additional information about career opportunities and workforce pathways.
Before adjourning, legislators agreed to place 10 proposed constitutional amendments before voters in elections scheduled for November 2026 and April 2027. The measures address topics including gubernatorial term limits, property tax issues, bail eligibility, property expropriation and state Supreme Court jurisdiction.
The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, which reviewed the session in a June 1 commentary, praised lawmakers for completing the budget in an orderly manner and continuing debt reduction efforts while raising concerns about increased public records exemptions, teacher pay uncertainty and continued reliance on state savings accounts to fund one-time spending.