House Bill No. 313, introduced by Representative Mandie Landry, amends existing employment discrimination laws in Louisiana to provide additional protections for employees of cities, parishes, or municipalities who use medical marijuana. The bill prohibits these employers from imposing negative employment consequences solely based on a positive drug test for marijuana, provided that the employee or prospective employee has a clinically diagnosed debilitating medical condition and has received a recommendation for therapeutic use from a licensed physician. This extension of protections aligns with current law that already applies to state employers.

Additionally, the bill expands the list of exemptions from these protections to include elected officials of cities, parishes, or municipalities, alongside existing exemptions for emergency medical services, law enforcement, public safety officials, state employees of the horse racing commission, and firefighter services. The proposed changes aim to ensure that individuals using medical marijuana for legitimate health reasons are not unfairly discriminated against in the workplace while maintaining certain exceptions for specific roles.

Statutes affected:
HB313 Original: 49:1016(A)
HB313 Engrossed: 49:1016(A)