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Louisiana House of Representatives

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Louisiana House of
Representatives
SLP-Infobox Image-Color.png
General Information
Party control:  Republican
Session start:  April 14, 2025
Session end:  June 12, 2025
Term length:  4 years
Term limits:  3 terms (12 years)
Redistricting:  Legislative control
Salary:  $16,800/year
+ expenses/per diem
Members
Total:  105
Democrats:  34
Republicans:  73
Other:  1 (Independent)
Vacancies:  0
Leadership
Speaker:  Phillip DeVillier (R)
Elections
Last election:  November 18, 2023
Next election:  November 20, 2027


The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Louisiana State Legislature. Along with the Louisiana State Senate, it forms the legislative branch of the Louisiana state government and works alongside the governor of Louisiana to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the Louisiana House of Representatives include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

The Louisiana House of Representatives meets in the state capitol building in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

  • All 105 seats in the Louisiana House of Representatives were up for election in 2019. Click to read more »
  • In the November 2015 elections, Republicans gained two seats and maintained control of the chamber. House Republicans went from a 59-44 majority with two independent members to a 61-42 majority with two independent members. After Louisiana's 2018 special elections, Republicans held a 61-39 seat majority with three independents and two vacancies.
  • Louisiana has a divided government, and no political party holds a state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers. As of December 8, 2025, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 14 Democratic trifectas, and 13 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control. In the 2020 election, Republicans had a net gain of two trifectas and two states under divided government became trifectas. Prior to that election, Louisiana had a divided government. There were 21 Republican trifectas, 15 Democratic trifectas, and 14 divided governments.

    • This page contains the following information on the Louisiana House of Representatives.

    Party control

    Current partisan control

    The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the Louisiana House of Representatives as of December 2025:

    Partisan composition, Louisiana House of Representatives
    As of December 2025
    Party Members
    Democratic 31
    Republican 73
    Other 0
    Vacancies 1
    Total 105

    Members

    Leadership

    The speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body. Duties of the speaker include preserving order and decorum, deciding all points of order and appointing the membership of all House committees.[1][2]

    Current leadership and members

    Salaries

    See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
    State legislative salaries, 2025[3]
    SalaryPer diem
    $16,800/year; plus an additional $6,000/year as an unvouchered expense$178/day.

    Swearing in dates

    See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

    Louisiana legislators assume office at noon on the second Monday in January after their election.

    Membership qualifications

    See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

    In order to run for office, the following qualifications are in place:[4]

    • Must be 18 years of age or older.
    • Must be a resident of the district they seek to hold office to for a minimum of two years.
    • Must not have served more than two and one half terms previously in office. This is for any candidate who has held office in the past after January 8, 1996.
    • Have not been convicted of a felony offense.
    • Have no outstanding fines with the Louisiana Ethics Administration Program.
    • Pay a $225 filing fee with the Clerk of Court in the parish they reside in or collect 400 signatures.
    • If running as a Republican or Democrat, pay an additional $112.50 filing fee with the state and/or parish executive committee of their party.

    Historical party control

    Republicans won control of the Louisiana House of Representatives in 2011. In 2023, they won a 73-32 majority.

    The table below shows the partisan history of the Louisiana House following every general election from 1991 to 2023. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Louisiana House of Representatives election results: 1991-2023

    Party 91 95 99 03 07 11 15 19 23
    Democrats 86 76 75 68 53 45 42 35 32
    Republicans 17 28 30 36 50 58 61 68 73
    Other 2 1 0 1 2 2 2 2 0

    Trifecta history

    A state government trifecta is a term that describes single party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Democrats held a trifecta from 1992 to 1995 and again from 2004 to 2007. Republicans held a trifecta from 2011 to 2015. The table below shows state government trifectas in Louisiana from 1992 to 2019.

    Louisiana Party Control: 1992-2025
    Eight years of Democratic trifectas  •  Seven years of Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
    Governor D D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R
    Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

    Elections

    Elections by year

    Louisiana state representatives serve four-year terms, with all seats up for election every four years. Louisiana holds elections for its legislature in odd years.

    Louisiana holds October primaries in which candidates of all party affiliations face off, rather than deciding party nominees through separate primaries. Should a candidate finish with a majority of the primary vote, he or she is considered elected; otherwise, a runoff between the top two finishers is held in November. Louisiana is also one of only four states that hold state elections in odd-numbered years. Former Clerk of the Louisiana House Alfred "Butch" Speer was quoted as explaining:

    “ For scores of years we conducted our party primaries in the winter of the odd numbered years, with any necessary 2nd primary held in January. Because Republican voter registration was so miniscule from 1877 until 1980, the general elections were mere irritants to the Democrat primary victor. Once we scrapped the partisan primary system [1975] we set the entire system up to run in the fall of the odd numbered year, our traditional election season.[5][6] ”

    2027

    See also: Louisiana House of Representatives elections, 2027

    Elections for the Louisiana House of Representatives will take place in 2027. The general election is on November 20, 2027.

    2023

    See also: Louisiana House of Representatives elections, 2023

    Elections for the Louisiana House of Representatives took place in 2023. The general election was November 18, 2023. A primary was October 14, 2023. The filing deadline was August 10, 2023.

    In the 2023 elections, Republicans increased their majority in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 71-33 to 73-32.

    Louisiana House of Representatives
    Party As of November 18, 2023 After November 19, 2023
         Democratic Party 33 32
         Republican Party 71 73
         Vacancy 1 0
    Total 105 105

    2019

    See also: Louisiana House of Representatives elections, 2019

    Elections for the Louisiana House of Representatives took place in 2019. The primary was on October 12, 2019, and the general election was on November 16. The filing deadline for candidates was August 8, 2019.

    Louisiana House of Representatives
    Party As of November 16, 2019 After November 17, 2019
         Democratic Party 39 35
         Republican Party 60 68
         Independent 5 2
         Vacancy 1 0
    Total 105 105

    2015

    See also: Louisiana House of Representatives elections, 2015

    Elections for the Louisiana House of Representatives took place in 2015. A primary election was held on October 24, 2015, with a general election held in districts where necessary on November 21, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was September 10, 2015, at 4:30 p.m. CDT.[7]
    Louisiana elections use the Louisiana majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50% of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.

    For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

    Heading into the election, Republicans held a 59-44 majority with two independent members.[8] Republicans gained two seats in the election, giving them a 61-42 majority with two independent members.

    Louisiana House of Representatives
    Party As of November 2015 After November 2015
         Democratic Party 43 42
         Republican Party 58 61
         Independent 2 2
         Vacancy 2 0
    Total 105 105

    Term limits

    See also: State legislatures with term limits

    The Louisiana legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Of the 15 states, it is the only state where term limits were imposed by the state's legislators, rather than through the ballot initiative process. Under Louisiana's term limits, state representatives can serve no more than three 4-year terms in the house.[13]

    The state's term limits law was enacted in 1995. 2007 was the first year that the term limits law impacted the ability of incumbents to run.

    Vacancies

    See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

    If there is a vacancy in the Louisiana State Legislature, the vacant seat must be filled by a special election. An election is required if there are six months or more left in the unexpired term. The presiding officer in the house where the vacancy happened must call for an election no later than 10 days after the vacancy occurred. The presiding officer must determine the dates for the election along with all filing deadlines. The person elected to the seat serves for the remainder of the unexpired term.[14]

    DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Louisiana Rev. Stat. Ann. § 18:601

    District map

    See also: Louisiana state legislative districts

    The state of Louisiana has 144 legislative districts. Each district elects one representative. The state Senate has 39 districts and the state House has 105 districts.

    Use the interactive map below to find your district.

    Redistricting

    See also: Redistricting in Louisiana

    In Louisiana, both congressional and state legislative districts are drawn by the state legislature. These lines are subject to veto by the governor. In the event that the legislature is unable to approve state legislative district boundaries, the state supreme court must draw the lines. There is no such practice that applies to congressional districts.[15]

    The state legislature has adopted guidelines for redistricting. These guidelines suggest that both congressional and state legislative districts be contiguous and "respect recognized political boundaries and the natural geography of the state to the extent practicable." These guidelines are non-binding; as such, the legislature may alter them at its discretion.[15]

    2020

    See also: Redistricting in Louisiana after the 2020 census

    Upon completion of the 2020 census, Louisiana will draft and enact new district maps. The House Committee on House and Governmental Affairs and the Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs announced they would hold a series of joint meetings throughout the state from October 2021 through January 2022 where citizens could make suggestions and recommendations regarding redistricting.[16]

    The Louisiana legislature opened a special session addressing redistricting on February 1, 2022, that was scheduled to last three weeks.[17]

    Sessions

    Legislation

    The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the Louisiana House of Representatives has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the Senate to the House and legislation that has already been approved by the House and signed by the governor after its passage in the Senate. Information on legislation provided below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. The tracker is fully interactive. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read its text in full and see its voting history. You can click the headings to sort the content in the column. You can also rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Finally, in the bottom-left corner of the tracker is a magnifying glass, which, when clicked, will allow you to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated by BillTrack50.

    Dates of legislative sessions in Louisiana by year

    2025

    See also: 2025 Louisiana legislative session and Dates of 2025 state legislative sessions

    In 2025, the legislature was scheduled to convene on April 14, 2025, and adjourn on June 12, 2025.



    About legislative sessions in Louisiana

    The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.[32] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

    Article III of the Louisiana Constitution establishes when the Louisiana State Legislature is to be in session. Section 2 of Article III states that, in even-numbered years, the Legislature shall convene on the last Monday in March and meet for no more than sixty legislative days during a period of eighty-five calendar days. In odd-numbered years, the Legislature is to convene on the last Monday in April and meet for no more than forty-five legislative days during a period of sixty calendar days. During regular sessions in odd-numbered years, the Legislature can only consider measures regarding the state budget, revenues and appropriations.

    Section 2 of Article III also allows the Legislature to be called into a special session by the Governor of Louisiana or by a majority of the members of each legislative house. During special sessions, the Legislature can only legislate on matters related to the proclaimed purposes of the session. Section 2 of Article III also authorizes the Governor of Louisiana to call an emergency session without prior notice in the event of a public emergency.

    Legislative roles and procedures

    Every state legislature throughout the country features its own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includes veto overrides, the role of the legislature in the state budget, term limits, procedures for filling membership vacancies, and redistricting.

    Veto overrides

    Veto Override Graphic-Republican Party.png

    See also: Veto overrides in state legislatures

    State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in Louisiana are listed below.

    How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Two-thirds of members in both chambers.

    Two-thirds of members in both chambers must vote to override a veto, which is 70 of the 105 members in the Louisiana House of Representatives and 26 of the 39 members in the Louisiana State Senate. Louisiana is one of 36 states that requires a two-thirds vote from both of its legislative chambers to override a veto.

    How can vetoes be overridden after the legislature has adjourned?

    According to Article III, Section 18 of the Louisiana Constitution, the legislature shall convene 40 days after the legislative session has ended to consider veto overrides for a period not to exceed five days. If a majority of members agree, the veto session can be cancelled.

    Authority: Article III, Section 18 of the Louisiana Constitution.

    "A bill vetoed and returned and subsequently approved by two-thirds of the elected members of each house shall become law. The legislature shall meet in veto session in the state capital at noon on the fortieth day following final adjournment of the most recent session, to consider all bills vetoed by the governor. "

    Role in state budget

    See also: Louisiana state budget and finances
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    Check out Ballotpedia articles about policy in your state on:
    Budgets • Civil liberties • Education • Elections • Energy • Environment • Healthcare • Pensions

    The state operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is:[33]

    1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies by September 20.
    2. State agencies submit their budget requests by November 15.
    3. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature 45 days before the legislature convenes. (Newly elected governors have until 30 days before the legislature convenes.)
    4. The legislature typically adopts a budget in June. A simple majority is required to pass a budget.[34] The fiscal year begins July 1.

    Louisiana is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.[33][35]

    The governor is constitutionally required to submit a balanced budget proposal. Likewise, the legislature must pass a balanced budget.[33]

    Committees

    See also: List of committees in Louisiana state government

    Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

    • Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
    • Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
    • Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

    Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The Louisiana House of Representatives has 16 standing committees:

    See also

    Elections Louisiana State Government State Legislatures State Politics
    Ballotpedia Elections Badge-VOTE-no shadow-Square.jpg
    Louisiana State Flag-Close Up.jpg
    State Houses-Tile image.png
    State Courts-Tile image.png

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Louisiana House of Representatives, "House rules," accessed April 15, 2014 (Referenced House Rule 2.5)
    2. ↑ Louisiana House of Representatives, "Major Office Holders," accessed April 15, 2014
    3. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
    4. ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Qualify for an Election," accessed December 16, 2013
    5. ↑ The Thicket, "Why do Four States Have Odd-Year Elections?" August 25, 2011
    6. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    7. ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "2015 Elections," accessed January 2, 2015
    8. ↑ The two vacancies were counted towards the party that last held the seat.
    9. ↑ Follow the Money, "Louisiana 2011 - Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    10. ↑ Follow the Money, "Louisiana 2010 - Candidates," accessed April 15, 2014
    11. ↑ Follow the Money, "Louisiana 2003 - Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    12. ↑ Follow the Money, "Louisiana 1999 - Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    13. ↑ legis.la.gov, "About the Legislature," accessed December 16, 2013
    14. ↑ Louisiana Legislature, "Louisiana Election Code," accessed February 10, 2021 (Statute 18:601, Louisiana Statutes)
    15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 All About Redistricting, "Louisiana," accessed April 30, 2015
    16. ↑ Redistricting, State of Louisiana, "Meeting Schedule," accessed October 13, 2021
    17. ↑ The Advocate, "On the eve of Louisiana's redistricting session, public gets first look at proposed maps," January 31, 2022
    18. ↑ WDSU, "Louisiana state legislature will temporarily adjourn due to COVID-19," March 16, 2020
    19. ↑ Bossier Press-Tribune, "Louisiana legislature meets briefly before suspending session again," March 31, 2020
    20. ↑ The Advocate, "75% in attendance and many without masks: Louisiana legislature reconvenes amid coronavirus," May 4, 2020
    21. ↑ Washington Times, "Edwards officially calls special session on budget, taxes," accessed February 8, 2016
    22. ↑ The Times-Picayune, "2015 Louisiana Legislature: What to expect from Bobby Jindal, lawmakers," April 11, 2015
    23. ↑ American Press, "How different will session be?" April 12, 2015
    24. ↑ Bossier Press-Tribune, "Jindal taps budget, education, relgious freedom as major 2015 session issues," April 13, 2015
    25. ↑ Gannett Louisiana, "Marijuana fight returning to Legislature this session," April 12, 2015
    26. ↑ Associated Press, "Jindal pushes worker training as legislative session opens," March 10, 2014
    27. ↑ American Press, "Education, lawsuit key issues," March 9, 2014
    28. ↑ wwltv.com, "A look at major issues at session's halfway point," April 24, 2013
    29. ↑ Louisiana House of Representatives, "2011 Regular Session Journals," accessed February 10, 2021
    30. ↑ Louisiana House of Representatives, "2011 1st Extraordinary Session Journals," accessed February 10, 2021
    31. ↑ Louisiana House of Representatives, "2010 Regular Session Journals," accessed February 10, 2021
    32. ↑ Find Law, "Tenth Amendment - U.S. Constitution," accessed May 20, 2017
    33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023
    34. ↑ For budgets with one-time money, two-thirds of elected House members must approve for it to pass.
    35. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Separation of Powers: Executive Veto Powers," accessed January 26, 2024
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