Louisiana committee backs 4-year extension of nursing-home moratorium after rejecting shorter substitute and parish exemption

Chairman and sponsor Representative Miller presented HB199, a bill to set an end date for Louisiana’s long-standing moratorium on new nursing-home beds, and offered an amendment to make the moratorium effective through July 1, 2031.

The committee’s central debate focused on timing and local need. Representative Perrault told the committee she had ‘‘12 people sitting in my emergency room right now’’ waiting for nursing-home placement and urged relief for districts with demonstrated demand. Nursing-home association executive director Wes Hathaway said the association and Representative Perrault had discussed moving the moratorium from five years to four as a compromise—he also said planners hoped to use 2030 U.S. Census data to guide future decisions.

Members debated two amendments. Representative Crews offered a substitute shortening the moratorium to three years; the committee rejected that motion on a roll call vote (9 no, 2 yes). A separate amendment to exempt St. Tammany Parish also failed on a roll call (9 no, 2 yes). After hearing public testimony, the committee voted to report HB199 favorably with the four-year amendment in place.

Public testimony showed divided views. Laurie Adams of the Pelican Institute urged rejection, saying a moratorium ‘‘prevents new providers from entering the market and blocks the addition of new beds even in areas where demand is growing.’’ St. Tammany resident Daphne Mazzaraca said she experienced a roughly one-year waiting list to place her mother in a local nursing home and asked the committee to consider local need when deciding exceptions.

The committee’s action sends HB199 to the next legislative step with a four-year end date; members and stakeholders signaled plans for continued work on data collection and quality oversight to guide any further changes.