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Bill

HB 926

VACCINES/VACCINATION: Prohibits the use of vaccine status to determine admission to public buildings

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Mike Bayham

Louisiana Medical Freedom Act bars denying services or employment or requiring medical interventions based on vaccination or other medical decisions by both private entities and go

Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.
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Bill Summary · HB 926

Summary of HB 926 (Louisiana, 2026 Session)

Basic purpose

  • Title: Louisiana Medical Freedom Act
  • Bill Number: HB 926
  • Jurisdiction: Louisiana
  • Sponsor: Rep. Bayham (co-sponsor: Rep. Mike Bayham)
  • Objective: Prohibit the use of an individual's vaccination status or medical intervention decisions as a condition for admission to public buildings, access to services, or employment. Protect individual rights to medical decision-making without discrimination or coercion, and prohibit medical mandate requirements by public or private entities.

What the bill would change (Key provisions)

Definitions

  • Establishes terms for the act, including:
    • “Business entity”: any individual or organization engaged in a gainful activity or enterprise (for-profit or nonprofit), including self-employed individuals and various forms of entities registered or operating in the state.
    • “Government entity”: state, parish, municipal, local government or subdivision, and any department, agency, board, etc.
    • “Medical intervention”: any medical procedure, treatment, device, drug, injection, test, monitoring device, or action to monitor, diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure a disease or alter health/biological function (explicitly includes vaccines, biologics, swabs/tests, genetic/genomic testing, pills, creams, sprays, devices, and monitors).

Prohibition of medical mandates (core prohibitions)

  • A business entity may not:
    • Deny or penalize individuals for refusing a medical intervention when accessing services, products, venues, education/training, trade, or transportation.
    • Require a medical intervention as a condition of employment.
    • Deny access to events based on a person’s medical intervention status.
  • Government entities or officials may not require a medical intervention for:
    • Access to government services.
    • Use of public buildings, facilities, infrastructure, or transportation.
    • Employment by government entities.
  • Any medical-intervention requirements that are allowed by the act must still comply with other applicable laws and exemptions/ accommodations.
  • The act does not affect child welfare laws.

Non-exclusion of healthy individuals

  • Healthy individuals or asymptomatic carriers should not be excluded from public activities during outbreaks or public health emergencies solely for declining a medical intervention.

Enforcement and remedies

  • Violations may be prosecuted by:
    • State Attorney General, or
    • Appropriate parish or municipal prosecutor.
  • If a violation is proven, a prevailing party may be awarded attorney’s fees and court costs.

Severability

  • If any provision is held invalid, the rest of the act remains in effect (severability clause).

Who/what is affected

  • Private businesses and service providers in Louisiana (whether for-profit or nonprofit) cannot base access or employment decisions on vaccination status or other medical-intervention decisions.
  • Government entities and officials are constrained from mandating medical interventions for access to services, buildings, transportation, or employment.
  • General public and event organizers (via ticketing/access provisions) are covered to prevent discrimination based on medical-intervention status.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • Status: In committee (Health and Welfare) as of the latest available action history.
  • Action history indicates first read by title and referral to committee in March 2026, with an initial provisional referral in February 2026.
  • Effective dates and specific implementation timelines are not specified in the text provided; if enacted, details would be governed by the Secretary of State or other implementing agencies per Louisiana law.

Practical impact considerations

  • Strengthens protection for individuals who decline vaccines or other medical interventions in the context of public access and employment.
  • Creates potential compliance considerations for businesses and public agencies to avoid conditioning services or employment on medical interventions.
  • May interact with existing public health emergency laws, anti-discrimination laws, and exemptions for medical reasons or religious beliefs; the act acknowledges exemptions and reasonable accommodations where applicable.
  • Provides enforcement avenues and potential remedies (attorney’s fees and costs) for violations.

If you’d like, I can provide a side-by-side comparison with current Louisiana law or draft a plain-language FAQ for the public.

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

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