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Read. Follow. Verify.Louisiana requires public benefit administrators to verify applicant citizenship and adds legislative audits
Last action · June 8, 2026: Effective date: 08/01/2026.Sponsor: Chance Henry
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What This Bill Does
Louisiana enacts Act 795, requiring state agencies, political subdivisions, and entities administering public benefits to verify that applicants are U.S. citizens or s. The law subjects these administering entities to legislative audits, mandates annual reporting on benefit terminations and ICE referrals, and establishes specific exemptions for emergency services, healthcare providers, domestic violence shelters, and food distribution programs.
Public benefit administrators must implement citizenship verification protocols, maintain audit records, and submit annual legislative reports, while certain crisis, healthcare, and food distribution organizations are exempted from specific reporting and verification duties.
- Act 795 was enacted during the 2026 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature following passage of House Bill 335. 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.
Applicants for public benefits
Applicants must provide proof of U.S. citizenship or qualified alien status to receive public benefits.
State agencies and political subdivisions
Agencies and political subdivisions must verify applicant citizenship, maintain records, undergo legislative audits, and submit annual reports.
Domestic abuse and homeless service providers
These entities are exempt from general reporting rules but must request proof of status, maintain specific audit records, and respond to lawful ICE requests.
Healthcare providers serving Medicaid recipients
Healthcare providers serving Medicaid recipients are explicitly exempted from the application of this section.
Key Facts
- State agencies, political subdivisions, and benefit-administering entities must verify that public benefit applicants are U.S. citizens or qualified aliens under 8 U.S.C. 1641(b).
- Benefit-administering entities are subject to audit by the legislative auditor upon termination of the verification period or upon final verification failure.
- Administrators of federal or state public benefits must report annually at the end of each fiscal year to the president of the Senate, speaker of the House of Representatives, governor, and the David R. Poynter Legislative Research Library.
- Annual reports must include the number of individuals reported to United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the number of individuals who had public assistance terminated.
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- The verification requirements do not apply to the distribution of food or food incentives by organizations, farmers' markets, farm stands, or nonprofit organizations.
- Entities providing services for domestic abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, human trafficking, homelessness, disaster response, or pregnancy assistance are exempt from certain general provisions.
- Exempt crisis and shelter entities are not required to report individuals to United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement solely based on an inability to verify status.
- Exempt crisis and shelter entities must request proof of citizenship, maintain records of whether proof was provided, and track whether services were continued or discontinued.
- Exempt crisis and shelter entities must produce required records to the legislative auditor, and must provide information to United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement upon receiving a lawful request.
- The law does not apply, and entities are free from liability, for actions taken in good faith to protect life, health, safety, or access to essential services during emergent circumstances, disaster response, or public health operations.
- The statute does not apply to healthcare providers who supply services to Medicaid recipients.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who must verify the citizenship of public benefit applicants under this law?
Are domestic abuse and homeless shelters required to report individuals who cannot prove citizenship to ICE?
What organizations are completely exempt from these citizenship verification rules?
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
22 actions- Jun 8, 2026HouseEnrolledSigned by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 795.
- Jun 8, 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, 2026HouseScheduled for concurrence on 05/29/2026.
Show 16 earlier actions
- May 29, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, roll called, yeas 77, nays 22, Senate amendments concurred in.
- May 28, 2026HouseReceived from the Senate with amendments.
- May 27, 2026SenateFloorSenate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 33 yeas and 3 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
- May 26, 2026SenateFloorReported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
- May 25, 2026SenateFloorCommittee amendments read and adopted. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
- May 21, 2026SenateReported with amendments.
- May 4, 2026SenateCommitteeRead second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary B.
- Apr 29, 2026HouseFloorRead third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 77, nays 17. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
- Apr 29, 2026SenateReceived in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
- Apr 27, 2026HouseFloorRead by title, amended, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
- Apr 27, 2026HouseScheduled for floor debate on 04/29/2026.
- Apr 23, 2026HouseReported with amendments (12-5-1).
- Mar 9, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
- 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 Judiciary.
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.
Expanded Legislative Audit and Reporting Oversight
The legislation integrates mandatory legislative auditor oversight alongside annual reporting requirements directed to state leaders and a research library.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.la.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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