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Read. Follow. Verify.Louisiana House Bill 289 allows immediate sentencing upon guilty plea or express waiver
Last action · June 2, 2026: Effective date: 08/01/2026.Sponsor: Peter Egan
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What This Bill Does
Louisiana House Bill 289 allows courts to impose a sentence immediately if a defendant pleads guilty or expressly waives the mandatory waiting period between conviction and sentencing. The law takes effect on August 1, 2026.
Changes the procedural timeline for criminal sentencing in Louisiana courts, potentially shortening the duration of post-conviction proceedings for defendants who waive delays or plead guilty.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
defendants convicted of a felony
Convicted defendants may now receive a sentence immediately upon pleading guilty or expressly waiving the statutory waiting period.
Louisiana state courts
Judges and court personnel are authorized to impose sentences immediately under the specified conditions without observing the prior mandatory multi-day delay.
Key Facts
- Requires at least three days to elapse between a felony conviction and sentencing under standard circumstances.
- Prohibits sentence imposition until at least twenty-four hours after a motion for a new trial or in arrest of judgment is overruled.
- Permits immediate sentencing if the defendant expressly waives the required delay or pleads guilty.
- Amends and reenacts Code of Criminal Procedure Article 873.
Show all 5 facts
- Becomes effective on August 1, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a judge sentence a defendant immediately after a felony conviction?
What is the waiting period if a motion for a new trial is filed?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
28 actions- Jun 2, 2026HouseEnrolledSigned by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 634.
- Jun 2, 2026HouseEffective date: 08/01/2026.
- Jun 1, 2026SenateEnrolledSigned by the President of the Senate.
- Jun 1, 2026HouseSent to the Governor for executive approval.
- May 31, 2026HouseEnrolledEnrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
- May 29, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, returned to the calendar.
Show 22 earlier actions
- May 29, 2026HouseCalled from the calendar.
- May 29, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, roll called, yeas 97, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.
- May 27, 2026HouseScheduled for concurrence on 05/29/2026.
- May 26, 2026SenateFloorRules suspended. Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 36 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
- May 26, 2026HouseReceived from the Senate with amendments.
- May 21, 2026SenateFloorReported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
- May 20, 2026SenateIntroducedRead by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
- May 19, 2026SenateCommitteeReported favorably.
- Apr 8, 2026SenateCommitteeRead second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary C.
- Apr 7, 2026SenateReceived in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
- Apr 1, 2026HouseCalled from the calendar.
- Apr 1, 2026HouseFloorRead third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 95, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
- Mar 25, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, returned to the calendar.
- Mar 25, 2026HouseNotice given.
- Mar 25, 2026HouseScheduled for floor debate on 04/01/2026.
- Mar 23, 2026HouseFloorRead by title, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
- Mar 23, 2026HouseScheduled for floor debate on 03/25/2026.
- Mar 18, 2026HouseCommitteeReported favorably (9-0).
- Mar 9, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
- Feb 27, 2026HouseFirst appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.
- Feb 24, 2026HousePrefiled.
- Feb 24, 2026HouseCommitteeUnder the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.la.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance45How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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