New Louisiana laws go into effect on Aug. 1

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - Over 100 bills were signed into law during the 2023 regular legislative session, some of which go into effect on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023.

Senate Bill 7 (Act 436) limits minors from being able to check out sexually explicit books at public libraries. Libraries have until January 2024 to adopt a policy and until June 2024 to implement it.
Senate Bill 175 (Act 457) criminalizes the creation and possession of “deepfakes” of minors engaging in sexual conduct.
House Bill 8 (Act 264) requires every public K-12 and college classroom to display “In God We Trust.” There are also regulations on how the posters must look.
Senate Bill 124 (Act 256) increases the penalty for driving a vehicle without a license plate attached.
House Bill 258 (Act 231) creates a state maritime academy within the University of Louisiana system.
House Bill 121 (Act 219) requires public schools that include kindergarten through fifth grade to provide at least 15 minutes of recess per day.
Senate Bill 135 (Act 207) recognizes the value of midwives and implements a Medicaid reimbursement rate for midwifery services.
Senate Bill 229 (Act 212) expands the boundaries of the New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority Economic Growth and Development District and amends the tax structure.
House Bill 439 (Act 451) creates the Victims of Vehicular Homicide Fund to pay reparations to family members.
House Bill 68 (Act 215) authorizes public schools to offer an elective course in the history of literature of the Bible. The law states that the course must maintain religious neutrality and not use any particular translation of the Bible.
House Bill 55 (Act 214) is also known as the “Mental Healing Justice for Incarcerated People Act” which allocates funding for access to better mental health services in state prisons and screenings for inmates with mental health disorders.
House Bill 90 (Act 399) enacts harsher penalties, up to life in prison, for those convicted of selling fentanyl.
Senate Bill 169 (Act 193) requires state police to track rape kits from collection through storage through conviction. State police are allowed to phase in this policy but it must be fully implemented by summer 2024.
House Bill 523 (Act 445) extends the amount of time minors can be held in adult lockup if a juvenile detention facility is not available to up to 48 hours. The minors must be separated from adult offenders.
House Bill 5 (Act 439) allows mothers of children to recoup 50% of out-of-pocket pregnancy-related medical expenses from the biological father within a certain time period.