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HB 246

HEALTH: Provides relative to the Children's Cabinet Advisory Board

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Annie Spell

HB 246 strengthens the Children's Cabinet Advisory Board to coordinate policy, programs, and data across agencies for improved child health, safety, and welfare.

Effective date: 08/01/2026.
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 246

Overview

HB 246 (Louisiana, 2026) aims to modify the structure and operations of the Children's Cabinet Advisory Board within the state's health and welfare framework. The bill appears to focus on enhancing the advisory capacity, coordination, and responsiveness of the board to issues affecting children.

Purpose and intent

  • Strengthen the role of the Children's Cabinet Advisory Board as a coordinating body to address child health, safety, welfare, and related outcomes.
  • Improve communication and collaboration among state agencies, departments, and external stakeholders that serve children.
  • Ensure advisory input informs policy development, program design, and funding decisions impacting children.

Key provisions and changes

  • Establishment and governance:
    • Clarifies or expands the composition of the Children's Cabinet Advisory Board, including potential appointments or designations to ensure broad representation (e.g., state agencies, legislators, and non-governmental stakeholders).
    • Sets expectations for meeting frequency, duties, and responsibilities of board members.
  • Advisory role and duties:
    • Requires the board to provide guidance on policy priorities, program alignment, and interagency coordination related to children’s health, welfare, education, and safety.
    • May mandate regular reporting or recommendations to the legislature or the executive branch on issues affecting children.
  • Coordination and implementation:
    • Encourages or requires cross-agency collaboration on initiatives targeting child well-being, including the alignment of state programs with identified priorities.
    • May specify mechanisms for data sharing, performance measurement, and accountability to ensure policy recommendations are actionable and trackable.
  • Administrative and funding considerations:
    • Could address resources, staff support, or administrative procedures necessary for the advisory board to function effectively.
    • May influence how the Cabinet's priorities are operationalized within state agencies.

Note: The exact text of provisions (e.g., specific member categories, meeting requirements, reporting timelines, and funding implications) is not provided here, so the summary focuses on typical areas impacted by similar legislative measures.

Who would be affected

  • State agencies and departments that interact with or serve children (e.g., health, welfare, education, juvenile justice, mental health, and family services).
  • Members of the Children's Cabinet Advisory Board and their agencies.
  • Stakeholders outside government, including advocacy groups, service providers, and families, who participate in or are affected by advisory recommendations.
  • The Legislature and Executive Branch, to the extent recommendations influence policy priorities, budget requests, and program design.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Action history shows passage through committees and the House with amendments:
    • 2026-02-20: Provisional referral to Health and Welfare Committee.
    • 2026-03-09: Referred to Health and Welfare after first reading.
    • 2026-03-26: Passed 3rd reading, engrossed, sent to the Senate.
    • 2026-03-31: Passed final passage in the House with a roll call of 101 yeas, 0 nays; title adopted; forwarded to Senate.
    • 2026-04-07: Read second time, referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare with amendments.
    • 2026-05-07: Committee amendments adopted and read by title; referred to Legislative Bureau.
  • The bill’s final status in the Senate and any further actions would determine its ultimate enactment, potential vetoes, or overrides.

Potential impact

  • If enacted, the advisory board could have a more formalized role in shaping child-focused policy and program implementation across state agencies.
  • Enhanced coordination could lead to more cohesive strategies for improving child health, safety, and welfare outcomes.
  • Clear reporting and accountability requirements may improve transparency and policy effectiveness.

If you’d like, I can tailor this summary to include hypothetical or drafted provisions once the final bill text is available, or compare it to prior iterations for context.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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