Louisiana House Bill HB39

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/22/26
• Refer: 1/22/26
• Refer: 3/9/26
• Report Pass: 4/9/26
• Engrossed: 4/15/26
• Refer: 4/20/26
• Report Pass: 4/28/26
• Enrolled: 5/18/26
• Chaptered: 5/22/26
• Passed: 5/22/26

Caption

LAW ENFORCE/OFFICERS: Requires peace officers to be citizens of the United States

Summary

HB 39 adds a new statutory requirement that, to be certified as a law enforcement peace officer in Louisiana, a person must be a United States citizen. The bill defines “United States citizen” by reference to federal law and places this requirement alongside existing training and qualification standards for peace officers. The bill also creates a transition rule for current peace officers who are lawfully admitted permanent residents. Those officers are exempt from the new citizenship requirement if they become U.S. citizens by August 1, 2031. In effect, the measure changes eligibility for future hires while giving certain existing officers a multi-year window to naturalize.

Impact

HB 39 amends Louisiana’s peace officer qualification statutes by adding R.S. 40:2404.4 and a related definition in R.S. 40:2402. It narrows who may be certified as a peace officer in the state, affecting law enforcement agencies, training and certification authorities, and prospective applicants who are not U.S. citizens. The bill preserves employment continuity for some current lawful permanent resident officers, but only if they obtain citizenship by the specified deadline.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have received majority support but also notable opposition. It passed the House final passage vote 63-23 and was ultimately signed by the Governor as Act 283, indicating it had enough backing to become law. The available record does not include committee transcript discussion, so the clearest indicator of sentiment is the floor vote and final enactment, which suggest generally favorable support with a meaningful minority of dissent.

Contention

The main point of contention is the citizenship requirement itself: supporters likely view it as a public-safety and loyalty standard for peace officers, while opponents may see it as unnecessarily excluding lawful permanent residents from law enforcement careers. A secondary issue is the grandfathering provision, which softens the impact on current officers but still requires them to naturalize by August 1, 2031. The split vote suggests disagreement over both the policy choice and its effect on recruitment and retention in law enforcement.