On May 22, 2026, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed into law legislation providing employees in customer-facing roles with stronger protections against violence at work. The new law expands employee protections and enhances criminal penalties for violence against retail or food-service workers.

• Louisiana’s newly enacted workplace violence prevention law, the “Louisiana Behind the Counter Protection Act,” will take effect on August 1, 2026.
• The law gives employees in customer-facing roles, primarily in retail and hospitality establishments, stronger protection against violence at work.
• The new law increases criminal penalties against offenders for threats and acts of violence against covered employees.

Louisiana’s ‘Behind the Counter Protection Act’

The “Louisiana Behind the Counter Act” (House Bill No. 1238/Act No. 342) expands Louisiana’s existing labor and employment laws, establishing new employment provisions and criminal penalties for threats and acts of workplace violence committed against customer-facing workers. The law specifically prohibits workplace violence against employees who interact with customers at points of transaction, such as checkout counters, service desks, or drive-through windows. Under the new law, “workplace violence” is defined as “any act of violence or credible threat of violence, including but not limited to” the following:

• “assault”;
• “battery”;
• “robbery”;
• “intimidation”;
• “verbal abuse”;
• “threats with a weapon”; or
• “any conduct that...

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