I'm happy to report that all of the bills scheduled for passage on the Senate floor pertaining to lawsuit abuse passed this week with overwhelming support. Most bills passed with 28 votes along party lines.

 

The bills that passed this week are:

• HB 450 by Rep. Melerine – fixes the Housley presumption.

• HB 434 by Rep. Dewitt – expands No Pay, No Play up to $100,000.

• HB 438 by Rep. Firment – limits damages for illegal aliens.

• HB 431 by Rep. Chenevert – establishes modified comparative fault.

• SB 231 by Sen. Reese – enacts medical billing transparency. Senator Reese’s bill still needs to make its way through the House.

The only damper on the week was HB 148 by Rep. Wiley, which initially gave the Insurance Commissioner rate-setting authority. It was ultimately heard on the Senate floor and amended by Sen. Talbot. Better language was included in some respects, but some language remains problematic. The bill passed by a 26–9 vote. There isn’t much opportunity left to try to fix this bill.

 

It saddens me that the chambers passed reforms we haven’t seen in 30 years, only to then pass this bill. We continued to hear that we needed a “balanced approach.” I wholeheartedly, 100% disagree with that notion. The business community has done nothing but get crumbs over the last 30 years. We have always been told that we have to compromise, while the legislature allowed our civil justice system to become more and more lopsided and punishing to truckers.

 

This is a time in history when we need a course correction—not a balanced approach. My hope is that we did enough on the positive side to balance out this one negative.

 

Many thanks, 

Senate Updates: Risky Insurance Regulation Bill Passes

Information originally compiled by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI)

 

Despite major wins on legal reform this week, the Senate also approved HB 148, a bill that could undermine Louisiana’s recent insurance progress.

 

HB 148 gives the Insurance Commissioner expanded power to reject rate filings—removing key checks and opening the door to California-style regulation. Worse, insurers could be forced to disclose proprietary rate data, a move that discourages companies from writing policies in Louisiana—hurting availability and competition.

 

The bill passed 26-9 and now heads back to the House for concurrence.

 

We appreciate the nine senators who voted against HB 148, recognizing its threat to our insurance market: Allain, Bass, Edmonds, Fesi, Miguez, Owen, Pressly, Seabaugh, and Wheat.

 

LMTA will continue fighting to protect our members from misguided policy that risks driving up costs and pushing insurers out of our state.

 

This update is based on information originally compiled and reported by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI).