The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Louisiana Department of the Treasury Establishes Certification Framework for Gold- and Silver-Backed Payment Platforms Under Act 841
Last action · June 8, 2026: Effective date: 06/08/2026.Sponsor: Raymond Crews
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Does
Louisiana establishes the Bayou Gold Program to create a voluntary state certification framework for private electronic payment platforms offering gold- and silver-backed transactional services. The Department of the Treasury will administer the program, maintain a public registry, and require platforms to meet strict precious metals allocation and depository standards.
Qualifying electronic payment platforms doing business in Louisiana can seek state certification by proving fully reserved precious metal holdings and local bullion depository storage, while consumers gain access to a verified public registry of platforms that meet state standards.
- The Louisiana Legislature enacted HB 797 during the 2026 Regular Session, resulting in Act 841. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
electronic payment platforms
Platforms offering gold- and silver-backed transactional services may apply for state certification, pay application and renewal fees, and submit to periodic compliance reviews.
Department of the Treasury
The department is tasked with establishing, administering, and reviewing the Bayou Gold Program, maintaining a public registry, and granting or denying certifications.
account holders
Customers using certified electronic payment platforms gain access to a public registry and statutory requirements for physical redemption within five business days.
Key Facts
- Creates the Bayou Gold Program within Title 51 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 to provide a voluntary certification framework for qualifying electronic payment platforms.
- Requires the Department of the Treasury to maintain a publicly accessible registry of certified electronic payment platforms.
- Mandates that certified platforms maintain allocated precious metals stored in a secure bullion depository facility meeting London Bullion Market Association or COMEX standards located within Louisiana or a bordering state.
- Prohibits customer precious metals from appearing on the platform's balance sheet, being subject to creditor claims, or being lent, pledged, or rehypothecated.
Show all 8 facts
- Requires platforms to provide customers the ability to redeem gold or silver in physical form within five business days of notice.
- Establishes a certification validity period of two years with provisions for periodic reviews and application or renewal fees.
- Prohibits the state from operating a depository, creating a state guarantee of deposits, or incurring financial liability for certified platforms.
- Makes the operational provisions of Section 1 effective upon a specific appropriation of monies by the Louisiana Legislature.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Bayou Gold Program?
Are customer precious metals guaranteed by the state of Louisiana?
Where must the physical bullion be stored for a platform to qualify?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
25 actions- Jun 8, 2026HouseEnrolledSigned by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 841.
- Jun 8, 2026HouseEffective date: 06/08/2026.
- 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, 2026HouseScheduled for concurrence on 05/29/2026.
Show 19 earlier actions
- May 29, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, roll called, yeas 97, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.
- May 28, 2026SenateFloorThe amended bill was read by title, passed by a vote of 26 yeas and 2 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
- May 28, 2026HouseReceived from the Senate with amendments.
- May 27, 2026SenateFloorRules suspended. Reported with amendments. Rules suspended. Committee amendments read and adopted. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
- May 27, 2026SenateFloorReported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
- May 21, 2026SenateIntroducedRead by title. Recommitted to the Committee on Finance.
- May 20, 2026SenateCommitteeReported favorably.
- Apr 29, 2026SenateCommitteeRead second time by title and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and International Affairs.
- Apr 28, 2026SenateReceived in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
- Apr 27, 2026HouseFloorRead third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 101, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
- Apr 23, 2026HouseScheduled for floor debate on 04/27/2026.
- Apr 22, 2026HouseFloorRead by title, amended, ordered reengrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
- Apr 21, 2026HouseReported with amendments (16-0).
- Mar 18, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, amended, ordered engrossed, recommitted to the Committee on Appropriations.
- Mar 17, 2026HouseReported with amendments (14-0).
- Mar 9, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Commerce.
- Feb 27, 2026HousePrefiled.
- Feb 27, 2026HouseCommitteeUnder the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Commerce.
- Feb 27, 2026HouseFirst appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.
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
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
State Certification for Electronic Precious Metal Platforms
Louisiana establishes a formal administrative bridge between state government registry and private gold- and silver-backed electronic payment platforms.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.la.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools