Official Louisiana Legislative Bureau Digest — AI analysis is being generated. The official digest is shown below in the meantime.
HB 186 Original 2026 Regular Session Melerine
Abstract: Creates the crime of theft of funds from the LA GATOR Scholarship Program.
Proposed law creates the crime of theft of LA GATOR Scholarship Program funds and provides that this offense is the intentional misuse of any account funds associated with the LA GATOR Scholarship Program for any purpose not provided in present law (R.S. 17:4037.1 et seq.).
Proposed law provides for penalties when the misappropriation or taking amounts to a value as follows:
(1) $25,000 or more, imprisonment at hard labor for not more than 20 years, a fine of not more than $50,000, or both.
(2) $5,000 or more but less than $25,000, imprisonment with or without hard labor for not more than 10 years, a fine of not more than $10,000, or both.
(3) $1,000 or more but less than $5,000, imprisonment with or without hard labor for not more than five years, a fine of not more than $3,000, or both.
(4) Less than $1,000, imprisonment for not more than six months, a fine of not more than $1,000, or both.
Proposed law further provides for a penalty consisting of imprisonment with or without hard labor for not more than two years, a fine of not more than $2,000, or both, for an offender who violates proposed law relative to an amount of less than $1,000 and has two or more previous convictions for theft involving an amount of less than $1,000.
Proposed law requires the offender to pay full restitution in accordance with present law (C.Cr.P. Art. 883.2) to the victim and any other person who has suffered a financial loss as a result of the offense.
(Adds R.S. 14:67.8)