(The Center Square) — Louisianans can carry concealed weapons without a permit and the state will have new methods of execution after Gov. Jeff Landry signed 11 bills into law this week from the recent special session.
More crime-related bills could be coming from lawmakers as the regular session starts Monday.
The bills Landry signed on Tuesday included:
• House Bill 4 limits the number of post-conviction appeals.
• Senate Bill 1 allows Louisiana residents to carry firearms concealed without a permit, known as constitutional carry. Louisiana will be the 28th state with that law on the books.
• Senate Bill 2 provides legal immunity in some situations to those with concealed carry permits.
• House Bill 10 ends the practice of sentence reduction that exceeds 15% of the sentence imposed by a court. Sex offenders and habitual felons would be prohibited from earning any reductions in their sentences.
• Senate Bill 5 changes parole procedures and what circumstances lead to the revocation of parole for an offender.
• Senate Bill 7 increases the penalties for driving while intoxicated in Louisiana.
• House Bill 6 provides nitrogen hypoxia and electrocution to the approved methods of execution in Louisiana. The last execution was in 2014.
• House Bill 3 requires pretrial drug testing and provides more avenues for those with addiction issues to be redirected to drug courts.
• Senate Bill 9 allows the prosecution of any sex crime to be initiated outside of the current time limitations when newly discovered photographic or video evidence is discovered.
• House Bill 9 eliminates parole for many offenders. At present, violent offenders can be eligible for parole if they serve 25% of their sentence.
• House Bill 11 allows probation periods to be extended to no more than three years in some instances and five years in others. It also ends the practice of compliance credits toward completion of probation and mandates prison for 90 days or less for technical violations of probation
Most of the bills go into effect on Aug. 1.
“Today, we made good on our promise to deliver sweeping reforms to our criminal justice system,” Landry said in a news release. “Reforms that put the interests of victims before the interests of criminals. Reforms that uplift and support our police officers. Reforms that deliver true justice to the victims of crime. Reforms that make our streets and communities safer for all.
“I am proud of the work we have accomplished, and I am thankful to the victims of crime, the Legislature, and all those involved in this special session. This is just the beginning of our work for a safer Louisiana.”
