HLS 21RS-719 REENGROSSED
2021 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 167
BY REPRESENTATIVES MIKE JOHNSON, AMEDEE, CARRIER, CREWS,
EDMONDS, FARNUM, FIRMENT, MIGUEZ, ORGERON, RISER, SEABAUGH,
AND THOMPSON
Prefiled pursuant to Article III, Section 2(A)(4)(b)(i) of the Constitution of Louisiana.
VOTING/REGISTRATION: Provides for removal of deceased persons from voter
registration rolls
1 AN ACT
2To amend and reenact R.S. 18:173, relative to voter registration rolls; to provide relative to
3 removal of deceased persons from such rolls; to provide relative to Department of
4 State and registrar of voter responsibilities; to provide for an effective date; and to
5 provide for related matters.
6Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. R.S. 18:173 is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
8 ยง173. Deaths
9 B. A. Upon Within thirty days after receipt of a certified copy of a death
10 certificate, the registrar of voters shall remove from the voter registration rolls the
11 name of the deceased.
12 C. B. By the tenth day of each month the parish health officer shall send
13 notice to the registrar of voters of the death of each person in the parish during the
14 preceding month and shall include the deceased person's parish of residence.
15 D.(1) C.(1) By the tenth day of each month, the secretary of the Louisiana
16 Department of Health shall send to the Department of State a report, certified as
17 correct over his signature or the signature of his authorized representative, containing
18 the name, address, date of birth, sex, and social security number, place of birth,
19 mother's maiden name, and alias name, as such information exists in the database of
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 21RS-719 REENGROSSED
HB NO. 167
1 the Louisiana Department of Health, of any person sixteen years of age or older who
2 died in each parish of the state within the preceding calendar month.
3 (2) The Within thirty days after receipt of the report described in Paragraph
4 (1) of this Subsection, the Department of State shall cancel the registration of any
5 deceased person when the information provided by the Louisiana Department of
6 Health corresponds exactly to the criteria for cancellation of voter registration as
7 established in R.S. 18:108 by the secretary of state. The Department of State shall
8 promptly notify the registrar of the parish in which the voter was registered of such
9 cancellation.
10 (3) The information received from the Louisiana Department of Health
11 regarding deceased persons whose registrations were not canceled pursuant to
12 Paragraph (2) of this Subsection shall be sent monthly to the registrar of voters for
13 each parish by the Department of State. Within thirty days after receipt of the report
14 from the Department of State, the registrar of voters shall review the information
15 received from the Louisiana Department of Health to determine if the matches of
16 information are sufficient to cancel or challenge the registration of deceased persons.
17 E. D. The registrar of voters shall search obituaries for deceased persons
18 whose registrations were not canceled. The registrar of voters may shall use
19 information from an obituary notice to cancel a deceased voter's registration if the
20 notice provides sufficient information to properly identify the voter and the registrar
21 has confirmed the voter's death with the office of vital records.
22 Section 2. This Act shall become effective on June 1, 2022.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 167 Reengrossed 2021 Regular Session Mike Johnson
Abstract: Provides criteria for removing deceased persons from voter registration rolls.
Present law requires a registrar of voters to remove from the voter registration rolls the name
of a deceased person upon receipt of a certified copy of a death certificate. Proposed law
requires such cancellations within 30 days after receipt of the death certificate.
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are additions. HLS 21RS-719 REENGROSSED
HB NO. 167
Present law requires the La. Dept. of Health (LDH) to send a report each month to the Dept.
of State regarding persons in each parish in the state who died in the preceding month.
Further requires the Dept. of State to cancel the registration of any deceased person when
the information provided by LDH corresponds to criteria established by present law.
Proposed law requires such cancellations within 30 days after receipt of the report. Present
law requires the Dept. of State to send LDH report information to the registrars. Proposed
law requires the registrars to, within 30 days of receipt, cancel or challenge registrations of
deceased persons.
Present law authorizes a registrar of voters to cancel registrations based on obituaries.
Proposed law requires the registrar to do so and requires the registrar to search obituaries.
Effective June 1, 2022.
(Amends R.S. 18:173)
Summary of Amendments Adopted by House
The Committee Amendments Proposed by House Committee on House and
Governmental Affairs to the original bill:
1. Delete proposed law imposing a three day deadline on the cancellation of
registration of deceased persons.
2. Delete proposed law providing the criteria for the removal of deceased persons
from voter rolls.
3. Add provision for the secretary of state to establish criteria for the removal of
deceased persons from voter rolls.
4. Add provision requiring the registrar of voters to review the information received
from LDH to determine if information is sufficient to cancel or challenge the
registration of deceased persons.
5. Change the effective date of proposed law.
The House Floor Amendments to the engrossed bill:
1. Add "within 30 days" requirement to cancellation, challenge, and review
requirements of present law and proposed law.
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.