Louisiana HB 1146: EARLY CHILDHOOD: Provides relative to the Advisory Council on Early Childhood Care and Education and the Early Childhood Care and Education Commission

Bill Text

ENROLLED
ACT No. 580
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 1146
BY REPRESENTATIVE WYBLE
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 17:407.101(C), (E), (F), and (G), to enact R.S. 17:407.101(I)
3 through (M), and to repeal R.S. 17:407.51, relative to early childhood care and
4 education; to provide relative to the Early Childhood Care and Education
5 Commission; to provide for the membership of the commission; to provide for the
6 duties and authority of the commission; to provide for meetings of the commission;
7 to provide relative to the Advisory Council on Early Childhood Care and Education;
8 to repeal the statutory authority for the advisory council; to transfer certain duties
9 and authority of the advisory council to the commission; to require certain reports
10 by the state Department of Education to be provided to the commission instead of the
11 advisory council; to provide for effectiveness; and to provide for related matters.
12 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
13 Section 1. The Legislature of Louisiana finds that the state's early childhood care and
14 education system has benefitted from both the Advisory Council on Early Childhood Care
15 and Education and the Early Childhood Care and Education Commission and that greater
16 alignment, efficiency, and impact can be achieved by consolidating these entities while
17 preserving their duties, membership, and authority.
18 Section 2. R.S. 17:407.101(C), (E), (F), and (G) are hereby amended and reenacted
19 and R.S. 17:407.101(I) through (M) are hereby enacted to read as follows:
Page 1 of 11
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.

HB NO. 1146 ENROLLED
1 §407.101. Early Childhood Care and Education Commission
2 * * *
3 C.(1) The commission is composed of forty-five members as follows:
4 (a) One representative of a municipality that receives Head Start funding,
5 appointed by the governor.
6 (b) (a) One representative of a Head Start program, appointed by the
7 governor.
8 (c) (b) One representative of a child advocacy or community organization,
9 appointed by the governor.
10 (d) (c) One representative of a disability advocacy organization, appointed
11 by the governor.
12 (e) (d) One representative of the governor's office, appointed by the
13 governor.
14 (f) (e) One business representative, appointed by the speaker of the House of
15 Representatives.
16 (g) (f) One local school superintendent, appointed by the speaker of the
17 House of Representatives.
18 (h) (g) One representative of Type III early learning centers, appointed by the
19 speaker of the House of Representatives.
20 (i) (h) One representative of a child advocacy or community organization,
21 appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives For Providers, By
22 Providers.
23 (j) (i) One parent of a child in a publicly funded child daycare early learning
24 center, Early Head Start Center, Head Start Center, or stand-alone prekindergarten
25 program, appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives.
26 (k) (j) Two members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the
27 speaker of the House of Representatives.
28 (l) (k) One business representative, appointed by the president of the Senate.
29 (m) (l) One local school superintendent, appointed by the president of the
30 Senate.
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.

HB NO. 1146 ENROLLED
1 (n) (m) One representative of Type III early learning centers, appointed by
2 the president of the Senate.
3 (o) One representative of a child advocacy or community organization,
4 appointed by the president of the Senate.
5 (p) (n) One parent of a child in a publicly funded child daycare early learning
6 center, Early Head Start Center, Head Start Center, or stand-alone prekindergarten
7 program, appointed by the president of the Senate.
8 (q) (o) Two members of the Senate, appointed by the president of the Senate.
9 (r) (p) Two representatives of high-performing community early childhood
10 care and education networks, appointed by the State Board of Elementary and
11 Secondary Education upon recommendation of the state superintendent of education.
12 (s) (q) One representative of a nonpublic school participating in a publicly
13 funded early childhood care and education program, appointed by the State Board
14 of Elementary and Secondary Education.
15 (t) (r) A member appointed by the American Academy of Pediatrics,
16 Louisiana Chapter.
17 (u) One person with professional expertise in the operations of a family care
18 center, appointed by the governor. (s) One representative of a family child care
19 provider that is Child Care Assistance Program-certified with academic approval,
20 appointed by the state superintendent of education.
21 (v) (t) One early care and education researcher from a public postsecondary
22 education institution, appointed by the speaker of the House of R