HLS 25RS-290 ORIGINAL
2025 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 144
BY REPRESENTATIVE TAYLOR
Prefiled pursuant to Article III, Section 2(A)(4)(b)(i) of the Constitution of Louisiana.
HOSPITALS: Provides for the creation of a hospital service district
1 AN ACT
2To amend and reenact R.S. 46:1051(A) and (B), 1053(A) and (C), 1054(B), and 1055(A)(2)
3 and (C) and to enact R.S. 46:1051(F), relative to the creation of a hospital service
4 district; to provide for the creation of hospital service district commission; to provide
5 for the duties of a hospital service district; and to provide for related matters.
6Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. R.S. 46:1051(A) and (B), 1053(A) and (C), 1054(B), and 1055(A)(2) and
8(C) are hereby amended and reenacted and R.S. 46:1051(F) is hereby enacted to read as
9follows:
10 §1051. Authority to create and alter the boundaries of districts
11 A. The police juries or governing authorities of parishes are authorized and
12 empowered, upon their own initiative, to form and create one or more hospital
13 service districts within the respective parishes. parishes, or The police juries of
14 parishes are authorized, with agreement among police juries concerned, to combine
15 two or more parishes into a single hospital service district with such names as the
16 police juries may designate, and, in so doing, police juries may create hospital
17 service districts whose boundaries overlap those of other hospital service districts.
18 B. The police juries or governing authorities are further authorized and
19 empowered, upon their own initiative, to alter the boundaries of any hospital service
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HB NO. 144
1 district, provided that no such boundary change shall cause an impairment of the
2 obligations of any contract of the hospital service district.
3 * * *
4 F. If a parish has both a governing authority and a police jury, the entity that
5 created the hospital service district shall control all duties, powers, and obligations
6 created by this Part.
7 §1053. Commission; qualification of members; appointment; vacancies;
8 compensation; removal of commissioners; certain powers
9 A. Any hospital service district formed or created under the provisions of
10 this Chapter shall be governed by a board of five commissioners, hereafter referred
11 to as commission, who shall be qualified voters and residents of the district. The
12 commission shall be appointed by the police jury or governing authorities of the
13 parish. Two of the first commissioners so appointed shall serve for two years, two
14 for four years and one for six years.
15 * * *
16 C.(1)(a) At the expiration of their respective terms of office, the successors
17 to such appointees shall be appointed within thirty days for six-year terms. The
18 police juries or governing authorities shall fill vacancies in the same manner as the
19 predecessor appointees were selected.
20 * * *
21 §1054. Officers; meetings
22 * * *
23 B. All meetings of the commission shall be held at the domicile of the
24 district established by the police jury. jury or governing authority. At least three
25 regular meetings shall be held annually. Special meetings may be held at such times
26 and places as shall be specified, specified by call of the chairman chairman,
27 governing authority or the police jury.
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HB NO. 144
1 §1055. Powers and duties of commission
2 A. In addition to the duties defined elsewhere in this Chapter, the
3 commission shall have the duty and authority:
4 * * *
5 (2) To advise the police jury or governing authority and the hospital director
6 on problems concerning the operation of the hospital and other facilities.
7 * * *
8 C. With approval of the police jury or governing authority, jury, a
9 commission may without the necessity of competitive bidding or competitive
10 negotiations also enter into special service agreements with any person who is a
11 licensed contractor operating under any contract with the Louisiana Department of
12 Health, whereby the licensed contractor will operate and manage all or any part of
13 any facility owned by the hospital service district, in a manner and for a purpose
14 consistent with the types of services being provided by the licensed contractor under
15 any contract with the Louisiana Department of Health; provided that prior to entering
16 into any such special service agreement, both the police jury or governing authority
17 and the commission must find that continued operation of all or any part of such
18 facility for hospital purposes is no longer necessary or feasible to accomplish the
19 objects and purposes set forth in R.S. 46:1052. The provisions of this Subsection
20 shall not apply in the parishes of Lafourche and Terrebonne and in Ward 11 of
21 Jefferson Parish.
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 144 Original 2025 Regular Session Taylor
Abstract: Authorizes a parish governing authority to create a hospital service district.
Present law states that a parish police jury may create a hospital service district within the
parish.
Proposed law adds that a parish governing authority or a police jury may create a hospital
service district in a parish.
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HB NO. 144
Present law authorizes a parish police jury to alter the boundaries of any hospital service
district provided that no boundary may be changed that would impair an obligation of any
contract of the hospital service district.
Proposed law modifies present law by adding the parish governing authority as an entity that
may alter the boundaries of a hospital service district, provided that no boundary change
shall impair the obligation of any contract of the hospital service district.
Present law creates a board of five commissioners to govern the hospital service district.
Present law states that the members of the commission are appointed by the parish police
jury.
Proposed law clarifies that the parish police jury or the parish governing authority may
appoint the members of the commission.
Present law states that the domicile of the hospital service district is established by the police
jury.
Proposed law adds that the domicile of the hospital service district shall be determined by
the police jury or parish governing authority.
Present law provides that special meetings may be called by chairman of the commission or
the parish police jury.
Proposed law adds that special meetings may be called by the parish governing authority.
Present law provides that a hospital service district shall advise the parish police jury and
hospital director on problems concerning the operation of a hospital or other facility.
Proposed law adds that the hospital service district shall advise the parish police jury,
hospital director, or parish governing authority on problems concerning the operation of a
hospital or other facility.
Proposed law states that the entity that creates the hospital service district shall have all
rights, duties, and obligations associated with the creation of a hospital service district
provided for in present law.
(Amends R.S. 46:1051(A) and (B), 1053(A) and (C), 1054(B), and 1055(A)(2) and (C);
Adds R.S. 46:1051(F))
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are additions.