BATON ROUGE – Today, Governor Bobby Jindal announced that he has signed the following bills passed by the legislature into law, bringing the total to ­­299 bills signed into law to date.  A number of these bills impacts businesses, education, economic development and rights of individuals:

SB 61 – Sen. Heitmeier

This bill concerns the use of restraints on individuals in the custody of the Office of Mental Health.

SB 106 – Sen. Cheek

This bill limits the civil liability of health care providers and personnel delivering health care services during a declared state of emergency.

SB 129 – Sen. Dorsey

This bill permits certain Louisiana residents returning from other states to qualify for TOPS.

SB 136 – Sen. Jackson

This bill relates to restaurant “R” permit, application and fees.

SB 138 – Sen. Walsworth

This bill allows for the “demutualization” of non-life insurance companies.

SB 140 – Sen. Riser

This bill relates to the careless handling of hazardous materials and the reimbursement of certain emergency response costs.

SB 179 – Sen. Crowe

This bill relates to the Louisiana International Deep Water Gulf Transfer Terminal Authority.

SB 195 – Sen. Kostelka

This bill requires the disclosure of campaign contributions by persons hired by statewide elected officials to serve as agency heads and by persons appointed to certain state boards and commissions.

SB 218 – Sen. Morrell

This bill relates to Citizens Insurance writing “business interruption insurance.”

SB 230 – Sen. Shaw

This bill allows for the implementation of certain family and child support programs.

SB 231 – Sen. N. Gautreaux

This bill relates to quarter horse racing.

SB 242 – Sen. Mount

This bill requires health insurers and health maintenance organizations to provide for a special enrollment period when employees or dependents lose Medicaid coverage or choose private insurance under a state premium assistance program.

SB 247 – Sen. Cheek

This bill allows for the rebasing of nursing home rates to occur biannually at a minimum.

SB 254 – Sen. Murray

This bill relates to the crime of domestic abuse battery.

SB 264 – Sen. Kostelka

This bill relates to surplus contributions from the Sheriff’s Pension and Relief Fund.

SB 273 – Sen. Martiny

This bill adds restrictions for new truck stop facilities regarding video poker devices.

SB 281 – Sen. Appel

This bill establishes the Schepis Museum in the Department of State.

SB 290 – Sen. Quinn

This bill exempts “surplus-line insurers” from having to take out or maintain a larger amount of insurance than that covered by the policy.

SB 294 – Sen. Nevers

This bill transfers the regulation of medical psychologists from the State Board of Examiners of Psychologists to the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners.

SB 299 – Sen. Duplessis

This bill establishes the “Healthy Food Retail Act” to improve access to fresh fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods in underserved communities.

SB 302 – Sen. Broome

This bill provides for the conversion of the Jetson Center for Youth.

SB 303 – Sen. Riser

This bill provides for medical treatment guidelines for workers’ compensation.

SB 308 – Sen. McPherson

This bill relates to the selection of certain consultants by the Department of Transportation and Development.

SB 309 – Sen. G. Evans

This bill authorizes a pilot health-related fitness assessment program in public elementary and secondary schools.

SB 316 – Sen. Nevers

This bill provides for a comprehensive approach to improving students’ preparation for college and careers and raising the state’s high school graduation rate.

SB 318 – Sen. Quinn

This bill increases coverage limits for consumer membership within the Louisiana Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association.

SB 324 – Sen. LaFleur

This bill relates to the collection of taxes of school districts governed by the Evangeline Parish School Board.

SB 333 – Sen. Broome

This bill creates the Bluebonnet Convention Hotel Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) District.

SB 347 – Sen. Mount

This bill provides for enhanced penalties for contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.

SB 351 – Sen. McPherson

This bill relates to the Department of Transportation and Development’s authority to execute design-build contracts.

HB 33 – Rep. Leger

This bill enacts the Witness Protection Services Act.

HB 36 – Rep. Ponti

This bill amends the definition of second degree battery.

HB 43 – Rep. Geymann

This bill provides for proof of a valid prescription as a defense to violations of the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law.

HB 62 – Rep. Burrell

This bill relates to the awarding of “good time” for inmates who participate in certified treatment and rehabilitation programs.

HB 70 – Rep. Hardy

This bill relates to court costs for local witness protection services.

HB 76 – Rep. Willmott

This bill amends penalties for home improvement fraud.

HB 91 – Rep. Wooton

This bill provides for court costs for the 25^th Judicial District Court.

HB 96 – Rep. Pearson

This bill permits retirees of the state and statewide retirement systems to select a retirement option that would provide for automatic cost-of-living adjustments subject to an actuarial reduction of benefits.

HB 118 – Rep. J. Smith

This bill removes the requirement that a substitute for a district attorney who is recused be from the same judicial district as the district attorney.

HB 119 – Rep. H. Burns

This bill relates to testimony by simultaneous audiovisual transmission.

HB 120 – Rep.  Thibaut

This bill relates to the limits of time share projects.

HB 123 – Rep. Wooton

This bill relates to the operation of truck stop amenities.

HB 176 – Rep. Pope

This bill relates to driver education programs in high school.

HB 179 – Rep. Stiaes

This bill relates to pupil progression in public elementary and secondary schools.

HB 186 – Rep. Wooton

This bill relates to criminal history information processing fees.

HB 187 – Rep. P. Smith

This bill relates to the approval of parents and school employees prior to converting a traditional public school to a charter school.

HB 193 – Rep. Chaney

This bill relates to school nutrition programs.

HB 208 – Rep. Monica

This bill prevents motor vehicle liability insurance policies from limiting or dropping down limits available for permissive users in an insurance policy.

HB 257 – Rep. S. Jones

This bill requires that any person who owns or operates a business of selling and fitting hearing aids shall be licensed.

HB 264 – Rep. Edwards

This bill relates to the expungement of arrest records.

HB 274 – Rep. Templet

This bill increases penalties for assault and battery of a school teacher.

HB 319 – Rep. Willmott

This bill requires local public school boards to provide instruction to high school students relative to the state’s safe haven relinquishments law.

HB 352 – Rep. M. Guillory

This bill relates to lift equipment for towing a vehicle.

HB 400 – Rep. Williams

This bill increases physical activity requirements for middle school students and establishes local school health advisory councils.

HB 449 – Rep. Anders

This bill relates to licensing for optometrists and expands the powers of the Louisiana State Board of Optometry Examiners.

HB 502 – Rep. Cortez

This bill concerns provisions for the Chemin Metairie Phase II Project.

HB 504 – Rep. Ligi

This bill enacts term limits for members of the Jefferson Parish School Board.

HB 522 – Rep. B. Badon

This bill creates the Wild Dolphin prestige license plate.

HB 546 – Rep. Perry

This bill authorizes the transfer and sale of certain lands by the Vermillion Parish School Board.

HB 554 – Rep. Landry

This bill provides immunity from civil liability for certain volunteers during a declared state of emergency.

HB 561 – Rep. Pope

This bill allows for surplus contributions from various local retirement systems be deposited, accumulated, and dispersed in a fund at the discretion of the Boards of Trustees managing the local retirement systems.

HB 649 – Rep. Montoucet

This bill relates to fees collected by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.

HB 655 – Rep. B. Badon

This bill allows the Municipal Police Employees’ Retirement System to provide an initial benefit option on a reemployed retiree’s benefit.

HB 673 – Rep. Pope

This bill allows members of the LA State Employees’ Retirement System and the Teachers’ Retirement System of LA who are furloughed from a college, university, or management board of colleges and universities to continue accruing service credit or earning benefits in their retirement system.

HB 721 – Rep. Johnson

This bill provides for funding of special educational services for certain children placed in private residential facilities.

HB 729 – Rep. Billiott

This bill provides workers’ compensation coverage for volunteer firefighters.

HB 767 – Rep. Williams

This bill relates to beverages offered for sale to students in public high schools.

HB 771 – Rep. Hutter

This bill authorizes the Board of Supervisors of Community an Technical Colleges to equalize tuition for online courses.

HB 777 – Rep. Champagne

This bill authorizes certain transactions for certain governing authorities under the ethics code.

HB 834 – Rep. Stiaes

This bill requires the completion of specified coursework for licensing as a marriage and family therapist.

HB 866 – Rep. Connick

This bill relates to judicial advertisements and legal notices in weekly publications in Jefferson Parish.

HB 872 – Rep. Downs

This bill relates to tuition for university graduate degree programs.