When the three months long 2024 regular legislative session adjourned “Sine Die” on the evening of June 3rd, I immediately headed north for the piney woods of District 22 and was welcomed home a couple of hours later by a symphony of chirping crickets, whippoorwill calls, and a gentle breeze blowing through the pines. After two eventful special sessions and a jam-packed regular session since January, it was nice to finally return home and reflect on the accomplishments and disappointments of the recently concluded legislative session. Although there is still plenty of work to do, there is no doubt in my mind that the state legislature made tremendous strides these past few months in moving Louisiana forward and paving the way for a bright and prosperous future.
Working closely with Governor Landry, the Louisiana House of Representatives passed significant legislation that aligns with the conservative values held by the hard-working people of District 22. Perhaps there is no area where this is more obvious than in the budget passed by the Legislature that reflects a 4.7% decrease from the FY 24 existing operating budget. The fiscally responsible spending plan was crafted with transparency and discipline, and anticipates the roll-off of the $.45 sales tax next year and the potential tightening of the economy in the months to come. Although the budget slightly decreases, the Legislature was still able to fund critical services and make significant investments in education, infrastructure, and crime prevention.
Education was a top priority this session, and the Legislature provided teachers with a $2,000 stipend and support staff with a $1,000 stipend. We also allocated $17.5 million for differential pay which allows school districts to pay more to teachers in hard to fill positions like math, science, and special education. Early Childhood Education was funded at $403 million, $30 million was allocated for “high dosage” tutoring, and $7.5 million is going towards special literacy and numeracy screening programs. House Bill 320 authored by Rep. Chuck Owen will remove burdensome and unnecessary requirements placed on educators, and it will allow teachers to do what they do best – TEACH. Senate Bill 313 by Sen. Edmonds establishes the framework for educational savings accounts to provide for school choice and give parents greater control over their children’s education.
The budget also reflects a strong commitment to higher education, with $94 million appropriated to deferred maintenance to jumpstart a long-term plan designed to tackle the $2 billion backlog in deferred maintenance across the state. The Legislature also allocated millions to the state’s four college systems for research, faculty retention and recruitment, and construction. The state construction budget includes $14 million to finish construction of Alost Hall at Northwestern State University.
As Chairman of the House Insurance Committee, my primary focus this session was addressing the current crisis in the state’s property and automobile insurance markets. On May 7th Governor Landry held a signing ceremony at the Capitol to sign four critical bills designed to bring stability, availability, and affordability to the property insurance market. I was proud to author HB 611 which repealed the state’s antiquated “3 Year Rule”, and has been identified by many experts as the main deterrent to homeowners insurance companies expanding their book of business in Louisiana. In addition to HB 611, the governor also signed legislation to streamline the claims handling process(SB 323), allow for flexibility and speed to market in ratemaking(SB 295), and building resilient and sustainable structures to withstand catastrophic storms(HB 120). We also passed SB 113, which was amended on the House floor to suspend the 10% surcharge on Louisiana Citizens policies for three years to bring immediate rate relief to policyholders with the state’s insurer of last resort.
The Legislature also took important steps to bring stability and competition to the automobile insurance market through several legal reform bills. HB 337 repeals the state’s “Direct Action” statute, HB 315 increases the time allowed for claimants and insurance companies to settle claims without suit being filed, and SB 355 allows for the disclosure of third parties financing lawsuits in all civil actions in Louisiana. Collectively this legislation should improve the competitive environment, incentivize insurance companies to invest in Louisiana, give consumers options, and allow free market principles to work. Although there are variables impacting the cost of insurance that the state legislature can’t control, such as inflation and catastrophic hurricanes, I am confident that the property and auto insurance reforms we passed will eventually provide for more stability and sustainability in the state’s insurance market.
Several pieces of legislation were passed to help improve the business climate in the state, including bills that restructured the Louisiana Economic Development department, reformed our obsolete and inefficient licensing laws, and made record investments in infrastructure. We allocated $1.36 billion to DOTD, including an additional $390 million transferred into the Louisiana Transportation Infrastructure Fund for “shovel ready” state highway and bridge projects. In addition to funding critical state infrastructure projects, we were able to secure funding for improvements to local roads, streets, and water systems in Natchitoches Parish. The Legislature is also sending another $75 million to the Water Sector Program, which has been extremely beneficial to Natchitoches Parish over the past 4 years. We also passed HB 700 which will allow the state to receive and distribute over $1 billion of federal funds to continue expanding broadband across the state and to finally bridge the “digital divide”.
It was rather satisfying to see the State Legislature pass several important bills that had been vetoed by Governor John Bel Edwards in previous years. An important election integrity bill (HB 114) vetoed three straight years by Edwards has been sent to Governor Landry, and will no doubt soon be signed into law. HB 46 by Rep. Edmonston stipulates that schools can’t mandate the Covid-19 for students to attend school in Louisiana – similar legislation was vetoed multiple times by the previous governor. I was proud to co-sponsor legislation filed by Rep. Horton and Rep. Crews that keeps radical gender ideology out of our schools – Governor Landry has already signed these bills that were vetoed by Governor Edwards. Rep. Echols passed HB 238 that prevents foreign adversaries from owning or controlling agricultural land in Louisiana, and it has already been signed into law by Governor Landry. Important legislation was also passed that protects our girls and women from men who violate their safe spaces such as bathrooms and locker rooms (HB 608). It was also very gratifying to see Louisiana become the first state in the nation to require that the Ten Commandments be posted in every public school classroom(HB 71).
Personally, I had a very productive session, passing seven House Bills, one House Concurrent Resolution, and three House Resolutions. In addition to HB 611, I authored HB 520 which requires insurance companies to provide policyholders who file property claims with a copy of the original field adjuster’s estimate and to document changes made to the original estimate. HB 609 establishes guidelines, standards, and conflicts of interest for the Appraisal Process, which is an important provision that allows for disputed property claims to be resolved without litigation. HB 603 brings clarity to the pharmacy audit and review process, and it will help prevent our local independent pharmacies from being abused by health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers. HB 102 establishes an employee health insurance fund for the LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Department. HB 409 clarifies that existing laws against harassing hunters and fishermen applies to all state owned and state managed lands. HB 42 was a hotly debated bill that finally passed after much negotiation, and it will help resolve a dispute between small, rural towns and the Municipal Police Retirement System. HR 230 requests the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to conduct a study regarding the health of Little River and to explore options for hydrology control, and expanding recreational opportunities on Little River for Grant and LaSalle Parishes.
It is a pleasure to serve you as District 22 state representative, and I encourage anyone who may have a question about legislation or any other issue to contact me at (318)765-9606, (318)201-6769, or at gfirment@legis.la.gov. Thank you and God Bless.
