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Read. Follow. Verify.Louisiana adds mail theft and receptacle tampering to the legal definition of racketeering
Last action · April 30, 2026: Effective date: 08/01/2026.Sponsor: Debbie Villio
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What This Bill Does
Mail theft and the unauthorized reproduction of mail receptacle keys or locks are newly added as qualifying offenses under Louisiana's racketeering laws, effective August 1, 2026.
Prosecutors can bring felony racketeering charges against individuals or networks engaging in organized mail theft, carrying significantly harsher criminal penalties.
- House Bill 147 was enacted during the 2026 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature and signed into law as Act No. 29. 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.
Prosecutors
Prosecutors gain the legal authority to charge mail theft and receptacle tampering under racketeering statutes.
Louisiana State Law Institute
The Institute is authorized and directed to renumber the paragraphs of R.S. 15:1352(A) to incorporate the new provisions.
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 crimes are now included under Louisiana's racketeering law?
When does this law take effect?
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- Apr 30, 2026HouseEnrolledSigned by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 29.
- Apr 30, 2026HouseEffective date: 08/01/2026.
- Apr 28, 2026HouseSent to the Governor for executive approval.
- Apr 27, 2026HouseEnrolledEnrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
- Apr 27, 2026SenateEnrolledSigned by the President of the Senate.
- Apr 23, 2026HouseReceived from the Senate without amendments.
Show 16 earlier actions
- Apr 22, 2026SenateFloorRead by title, passed by a vote of 34 yeas and 3 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
- Apr 13, 2026SenateFloorReported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
- Apr 8, 2026SenateIntroducedRead by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
- Apr 7, 2026SenateCommitteeReported favorably.
- Mar 25, 2026SenateCommitteeRead second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary C.
- Mar 24, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, returned to the calendar.
- Mar 24, 2026HouseCalled from the calendar.
- Mar 24, 2026HouseFloorRead third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 92, nays 1. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
- Mar 24, 2026SenateReceived in the Senate. Rules suspended. 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 03/24/2026.
- Mar 18, 2026HouseCommitteeReported favorably (9-0).
- Mar 9, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
- Feb 13, 2026HousePrefiled.
- Feb 13, 2026HouseCommitteeUnder the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
- Feb 13, 2026HouseFirst appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/13/2026.
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- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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