House Bill No. by Representative Mike Johnson, known as the Restoring Biological Truth Act, proposes significant amendments to Louisiana law by replacing all references to "gender" with "sex." The bill defines "sex" as an individual's biological sex, either male or female, as determined at birth, and clarifies that terms related to gender identity should not be used interchangeably with sex. This change aims to standardize legal language across various statutes, including those related to demographic reporting, criminal justice, and child welfare. The bill also mandates that entities such as boards and commissions report demographic data using "sex" instead of "gender," ensuring consistency in how demographic information is categorized and reported.

Additionally, the bill introduces new requirements for the expungement of criminal records, including the necessity for specific documentation and the establishment of confidentiality for expunged records. It emphasizes that victims of human trafficking can have their records expunged without cost and with waived time delays. The legislation also mandates the Louisiana State Law Institute to update all legal references from gender to sex concerning personally identifiable information. Overall, the Restoring Biological Truth Act seeks to reinforce a biological understanding of sex in legal contexts while promoting inclusivity and addressing the needs of vulnerable populations within the justice system.

Statutes affected:
HB578 Original: 3:1493(E), 3:2074(E), 4:2(A)(2), 4:193(B), 9:2720(D), 13:1856(A)(1), 13:1857(A)(8), 14:2(A), 15:3(A)(2), 15:832(A), 15:905(F)(13), 15:933(D)(4), 15:934(B)(4), 15:1110(D)(3), 15:2(B)(4), 15:9(D)(1), 17:5(B)(2), 17:13(G)(2), 17:3(B)(2), 17:416(M), 17:21(N)(3), 17:7(C), 17:1871(A)(3), 17:7(B)(2), 17:3351(B)(2), 17:12(5), 17:3911(B)(1), 17:3991(A)(1), 17:5067(B)(7), 22:1204(A)(10), 22:1504, 22:1545(I)(1), 22:2(H), 22:2161(B), 22:2187(D)(4), 22:2503(9), 23:2043(B)(1), 27:46(B), 32:10(A)(2), 33:302(A)(2), 33:882(A)(2), 33:363(D), 33:3(B)(2), 33:4071(A)(6), 33:301(G)(2), 36:108(B)(5), 37:832(A)(2), 37:914(B)(3), 37:962(C), 37:1042(B)(1), 37:1104(A), 37:1172(A), 37:2102(A)(2), 37:2353(A)(2), 37:2403(H), 37:2407(D), 37:2455(B)(1), 37:2704(A), 37:3061(A)(2), 37:3084(B)(2), 37:3201(B)(2), 37:2(C), 37:3389(C), 37:3444(A), 37:3463(B)(1), 37:3554(A)(2), 37:3703(B)(3), 40:101(D)(1), 40:151(D)(1), 40:2403(H)(1), 42:1(A), 42:1132(B)(1), 46:3(D)(1), 46:5(1), 46:37(B)(10), 46:1095(A), 46:8(A), 47:14(E)(2), 47:1702(6), 48:2134(C), 49:1112(B)(1), 51:942(A), 56:108(A), 56:1705(C)