The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Louisiana authorizes Tensas Parish School Board to sell or exchange surplus school lands
Last action · May 29, 2026: Effective date: 08/01/2026.Sponsor: Francis Thompson
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Does
Louisiana House Bill 677 authorizes the Tensas Parish School Board to sell or exchange certain school lands deemed no longer needed for school purposes, effective August 1, 2026. The legislation requires the school board to obtain a certified appraisal for public inspection, ensure exchanges are of equal or greater value, and reserve all mineral rights to the state.
Local school authorities gain the legal power to divest or swap parcels in Tensas Parish while keeping mineral rights under state ownership.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Tensas Parish School Board
The board receives new statutory authority and procedural requirements to sell or exchange surplus school lands.
State of Louisiana
The state retains all mineral rights and interests for any property sold or exchanged under this act.
Key Facts
- The Tensas Parish School Board may sell or exchange school lands, including sixteenth section and indemnity lands, if they are no longer needed for school purposes.
- The school board must obtain an appraisal from a certified, licensed appraiser, and the appraisal must be made available for public inspection.
- Any land exchange must result in total consideration, including the value of land received, that is of equal or greater value than the land relinquished.
- The school board is required to reserve to the state all mineral rights and interests as required by law.
Show all 5 facts
- The act enacts R.S. 41:909 and takes effect on August 1, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What conditions must be met before the Tensas Parish School Board can sell or exchange school land?
What happens to the mineral rights during a property exchange?
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
22 actions- May 29, 2026HouseEnrolledSigned by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 439.
- May 29, 2026HouseEffective date: 08/01/2026.
- May 21, 2026HouseSent to the Governor for executive approval.
- May 20, 2026HouseReceived from the Senate without amendments.
- May 20, 2026HouseEnrolledEnrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
- May 20, 2026SenateEnrolledSigned by the President of the Senate.
Show 16 earlier actions
- May 19, 2026SenateRules suspended. Called from the Calendar.
- May 19, 2026SenateFloorRead by title, passed by a vote of 33 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
- Apr 22, 2026SenateIntroducedRead by title and returned to the Calendar, subject to call.
- Apr 14, 2026SenateFloorReported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
- Apr 13, 2026SenateIntroducedRead by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
- Apr 8, 2026SenateCommitteeReported favorably.
- Mar 30, 2026SenateCommitteeRead second time by title and referred to the Committee on Natural Resources.
- Mar 25, 2026HouseFloorRead third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 101, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
- Mar 25, 2026SenateReceived in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
- 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 (11-0).
- Mar 9, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Environment.
- Feb 27, 2026HousePrefiled.
- Feb 27, 2026HouseCommitteeUnder the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Environment.
- 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
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.la.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance35How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools