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Read. Follow. Verify.Louisiana House Bill 298 expands third degree rape definition to include victims confined in correctional facilities
Last action · March 9, 2026: Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.Sponsor: Mandie Landry
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What This Bill Proposed
Louisiana House Bill 298 expands the legal definition of to include sexual intercourse committed when the victim is confined or detained in a . The measure also defines correctional facility and clarifies that references to simple rape apply to third degree rape for acts committed on or after August 1, 2015.
The measure broadens the circumstances under which individuals held in jails, prisons, or juvenile institutions can legally establish lack of consent for sexual offenses, impacting criminal prosecutions and correctional oversight.
- House Bill 298 was introduced during the 2026 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature by Representative Mandie Landry. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Inmates and detainees in correctional facilities
Individuals confined in correctional facilities are newly protected under the explicit statutory definition of third degree rape when sexual intercourse is committed without lawful consent.
Prosecutors and criminal defendants
Legal charges and trial standards for sexual offenses occurring within correctional facilities are altered by the new statutory circumstance defining third degree rape.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What new conduct constitutes third degree rape under HB 298?
How does the bill define a correctional facility?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
4 actions- 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
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Explicit Statutory Protection for Detained Individuals
The bill explicitly closes a statutory gap by classifying sexual intercourse involving victims confined in correctional facilities as third degree rape.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.la.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 60)
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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