As if hurricanes and alligators were not enough, “We the People” of Louisiana have new laws in effect– courtesy of the 2019 Legislature.
Some of these laws change life for our school kids in particular, and you should be aware of them if you have children under your care:
Laws concerning abuse of children were strengthened, and a new definition of bodily injury says exactly what types of abuse merit the harshest punishments. They have added starvation or malnutrition to the benchmarks for child abuse.
Are you someone interested in being a guardian, foster parent or adoptive parent? Hopefully, you have no felony convictions for child abuse or neglect, spousal abuse, sexual crimes, homicide, or sexual assault in your past. You cannot have any convictions for physical assault, battery, or drugs in the last five years.
If your child is in school, you can now insist they receive behavioral health services at school during school hours.
illegal possession of a handgun by a juvenile.
Are you expecting to have a jury trial in the near future? Jim Crow era laws that allowed convictions with just 10 jurors now require all 12 people on the jury to unanimously agree in felony cases and anything involving the death penalty. This makes conviction harder.
If you are a state worker, you should be glad to know the state now requires anti-sexual harassment policies. Retaliation for reporting it has been made illegal. Not only that, but agencies in the government are also now required to submit reports for public use that detail the number of sexual harassment claims over the previous year.
If you have a cancer screening, health insurance plans now have to cover follow up screenings, as well as various other procedures for cancer patients.
Voting has been made simpler for young college students. Their student ID will now serve as a voter ID for state elections. Universities will have to make sure IDs have all the appropriate information.
Finally, boat registration fees are being increased by almost $10 dollars. No one knows what the extra money collected will be used for, but there are over 400,000 private boats registered in the state.
We hope this update of Louisiana law is helpful to you. If, however, you find yourself doing things the old way and in need of expert legal help, contact the Gouner Law Office. We are experienced in the peculiarities of the Louisiana legal system. Whatever your legal questions — bankruptcy, personal injury, criminal defense, family law, eviction, workplace, or traffic and DUI—we will be happy to schedule a confidential consultation.
Written by Ted Baldwin
