State Repeals Special St. Tammany Mosquito Law After Parish Push

New Act Removes A Longstanding State Statute Tied To The St. Tammany Parish Mosquito Abatement District

A Louisiana law that gave special authority to the St. Tammany Parish Mosquito Abatement District is set to be repealed after state lawmakers approved House Bill 286 and Gov. Jeff Landry signed it into law as Act 62. The change takes effect Aug. 1, 2026.

The measure repeals Louisiana Revised Statute 33:7728, a state law specific to the St. Tammany district. According to the enrolled bill, the repeal removes provisions tied to the district’s independent authority over spending, its ability to extend services outside its boundaries, certain employee health insurance claim language, and older references involving district boundaries and naming.

The repeal follows action by the St. Tammany Parish Council, which adopted Resolution C-7266 on March 12 asking the parish’s legislative delegation to remove the statute. In that resolution, the council said the special law was outdated and no longer consistent with the way other mosquito abatement districts are governed under state law.

The council resolution also said both parish government and the mosquito abatement board agreed the special legislation was no longer necessary. It stated that, once the law is repealed, the council would still retain authority under Louisiana Revised Statute 33:1415(B) to approve the district’s budget each year.

Discussion at the March council meeting showed the issue was not without debate. Meeting minutes show some mosquito district representatives argued the process was moving too quickly and warned that changes to the legal structure could affect the board’s oversight role. Even so, the resolution passed and the bill later cleared the Legislature.

Why This Matters In Slidell

The mosquito abatement district has deep ties to the Slidell area. The parish council’s resolution says the original district created in the 1960s covered the greater Slidell and Pearl River areas before expanding parishwide in the early 2000s after voters approved a parishwide millage. The district’s headquarters is also located on Airport Road in Slidell.

For Slidell residents, the immediate impact is more about governance than day-to-day mosquito spraying. The district says it will continue providing mosquito management services parishwide. The larger change is that a special state statute unique to St. Tammany is being removed, while parish officials say budget oversight remains in place through broader state law.