Senate Bill No. 156, introduced by Senator Kleinpeter, amends the penalties for negligent homicide in Louisiana. The bill increases the maximum period of imprisonment for negligent homicide from 10 years to 15 years, regardless of the victim's age. Additionally, it establishes that if the victim is under 17 years old and the death results from intentional or criminally negligent mistreatment, abuse, or neglect by an offender over 17 years of age, the offender will face a minimum of two years and a maximum of 40 years of hard labor imprisonment.

The bill also stipulates that if a court does not impose a term of imprisonment under certain circumstances—specifically when the fatality was caused by someone operating a vehicle and the offender's blood alcohol concentration contributed to the fatality—the court must provide written and oral reasons for not sentencing the offender to imprisonment. This legislation is set to take effect on August 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
SB156 Original: 14:32(C)(1)