Activity greatly increased at the capitol this week as the legislature was in its regular groove at roughly the halfway mark of the legislative session. Committees on both sides of both chambers meeting in the morning with the floors meeting until late hours of the night.
LMTA has been very active at the capitol with several bills-other than the lawsuit abuse bills-moving through the process. The major bill that members need to be aware are two bills that LMTA currently opposes. One is a bill that we are seeking an amendment and the other is a bill that we strongly oppose.
HB 447 by Rep Illg would increase the fees on every class of driver's license in the state of Louisiana by $6.00. The additional fees would help to fund litter abatement across the state-a major initiative of the Lt Governor. LMTA is opposed to this increased cost to the truckers in Louisiana. After the bill was reported favorably by committee, it was recommitted to the House Appropriations Committee. Please contact your House of Representatives member and let them know you oppose this increase on a driver's license.
HB
957 by Rep Jordan is a bill that would prohibit a manufacturer, wholesaler or dealer from sharing driver information or data with any other party without obtaining the driver's express consent. I initially was in committee on other bills but as the bill author talked about this bill, he started bleeding over into our employer-employee relationships and our owner-operator relationships. Impromptu testimony on this bill as we heard concerns that might impact us. It's at time marker 1:32. We are requesting amendments on this bill to ensure we are protected should this bill pass.
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A good bill that is still making its way through the process is HB 785 by Rep Schamerhorn which clarifies that you can not sue an equipment owner for not adding optional equipment to their leased equipment. His bill passed the house floor by a vote of 100-1. It now heads to the senate for a hearing.
Please see the attached report for everything we are tracking.
