Louisiana Legislative Session 2023: Here are bills authored or co-authored by NELA legislators

Ian Robinson, Monroe News-Star
·8 min read

Northeast Louisiana legislators have a mountain of bills filed to be considered ahead of the start of 2023 Regular Session in the Louisiana State Legislature on Monday.

Here is the list of bills authored by NELA state legislators, according to the Louisiana State Legislator's website.

Sen. Stewart Cathey (R-Sterlington)

  • Senate Bill No. 27 − Tax Exemptions: Provides for the Brownfields Investor Tax Credit. Status is pending approval from Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee.

  • Senate Bill No. 28 − Agricultural Commodities: Provides relative to grain sampling and grading. Status is pending approval form Senate Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture and Rural Development Committee.

  • Senate Bill No. 56 − Tax Emptions: Reinstates the Second Amendment sales tax holiday. Status is pending approval from the Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee.

  • Senate Bill No. 88 − Tax Emptions: Establishes an employer supported maternal healthcare tax credit. Status is pending Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee.

  • Senate Bill No. 119 − Hunters/Hunting: Provides for the youth hunting license fee and licensing requirements. Status is pending Senate Natural Resources Committee.

  • Senate Bill No. 159 − Juvenile Justice: Provides for the detention of seventeen year old juveniles under certain circumstances. Senate is pending Senate Judiciary B Committee.

  • Senate Bill No. 174 − Tenure: Provides for the annual evaluation of each faculty member at each public postsecondary education institution. Senate is pending Senate Education Committee.

  • Senate Bill No. 193 − Tax/Ad Valorem: Provides relative to the allocation of ad valorem tax assessed values of certain property. Senate is pending approval from Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee.

  • Senate Bill No. 219 − Agricultural Commodities: Provides relative to industrial hemp. Status is pending Senate Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development Committee.

Rep. Mike Echols (R-Monroe)

  • House Bill No. 60 − Weights/Measures: Adds "electricity disturbed by electric vehicle supply equipment" and "electric vehicle supply equipment" to certain definitions under the Louisiana Weights and Measures Law. Status is pending approval from the House Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development Committee.

  • House Bill No. 125 − Agriculture: Restricts ownership of agricultural lands by foreign adversaries. Status is pending approval from the House Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development Committee.

  • House Bill No. 215 − State Agencies: To require the office of motor vehicles within the Dept. of Public Safety and Corrections to accept credit cards, charge cards, and debit cards for the payment of fees, fines, taxes, penalties, and interest. Status is pending approval from House Appropriations Committee.

  • House Bill No. 482 − Highways: Creates the Louisiana Music Trial and provides for a commission to administer the program. Status is pending approval from House Municipal, Parochial, and Cultural Affairs Committee.

  • House Bill No. 585 − Economic Development: Creates a council focused on economic development goals. Status is pending approval from House Commerce Committee.

Rep. Adrian Fisher (D-Monroe)

  • House Bill No. 67 − Higher Education: Authorizes the University of Louisiana System to set tuition and fee amounts for Doctor of Physical Therapy students at University of Louisiana at Monroe. Status is pending approval from the House Education Committee.

  • House Bill No. 137 − Civil Service/Fire & Police: Relative to the municipal fire and police civil service board in the City of Monroe, provides for the salary and duties of the board secretary. Status is pending approval from the House Municipal, Parochial, and Cultural Affairs.

  • House Bill No. 356 − Districts/Hospital Services: Provides for salaries of commissioners of the Ouachita Parish hospital service district. Status is pending approval from the House Municipal, Parochial, and Cultural Affairs Committee.

  • House Bill No. 591 − Energy/Alternate: Includes solar power generation facilities that have active power purchase agreements to those facilities that are exempt from application, processing, and monitoring fees. Status is pending approval from House Natural Resources Committee.

Rep. Foy Gadberry (R-West Monroe)

  • House Bill No. 11 − Transportation Department: Increases the contract limit for construction, maintenance or improvement projects of the Department of Transportation and Development from $500,000 to $1 million. Status is pending approval from the House Transportation, Highways and Public Works Committee.

  • House Bill No. 23 − Local Government and Ordinances: Requires parishes and municipalities to require organizations holding parades to provide for litter abatement. Status is pending approval from the House Municipal, Parochial, and Cultural Affairs Committee.

  • House Bill No. 80 − Contracts: Provides relative to the prior approval process available to potential suppliers for particular products. Status is pending approval from the House Transportation, Highways and Public Works Committee.

  • House Bill No. 393 − Building Codes: Creates exceptions for roofing inspections of any commercial and residential structure. Status is pending approval from House Commerce Committee.

Sen. Katrina Jackson (D-Monroe)

  • Senate Bill No. 95 − Housing: Provides relative to the civil service status of employees of the Louisiana Housing Corporation. Status is pending approval from the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee.

  • Senate Bill No. 105 − Tax/Income/Personal: Expands the income tax deduction to a deduction for a dependent minor child to include an unborn child. Status is pending approval from the Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee.

  • Senate Bill No. 166 − Capital Outlay: Authorizes the division of administration to waive local match requirements for certain nonstate entity projects. Status is pending approval from the Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee.

  • Senate Bill No. 189 − Charitable Gaming: Provides relative to electronic or video bingo machines and licensed premises. Status is pending approval from the Senate Judiciary B Committee.

  • Senate Bill No. 198 − Agricultural Commodities: Provides relative to consumable hemp products. Status is pending approval from Senate Agricultural, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development.

  • Senate Bill No. 209 − Abortion: Retains present law retaining to abortion and adds "elective abortion" to the definition of "abortion." Status is pending approval from Senate Judiciary C Committee.

Sen. Jay Morris (R-West Monroe)

  • Senate Bill No. 48 − Criminal Procedure: Constitutional amendment to eliminate a judge's discretion to grant bail for certain offenses after conviction. Status is pending approval from the Senate Judiciary C Committee.

  • Senate Bill No. 54 − Criminal Procedure: Repeals provisions relative to police officers making arrests for certain misdemeanors and felonies. Status is pending approval from the Senate Judiciary C Committee.

  • Senate Bill No. 60 − Tax/Local: Provides for an extensive to the exception to the use of state tax increments for the expansion of certain projects. Status is pending approval from Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee.

  • Senate Bill No. 28 − Postsecondary Education: Prohibits postsecondary education institutions from using information relative to an applicant's or an applicant's family member's race, sex or national origin in making admissions decisions for the institution or program of study, as well as awarding of scholarships, grants or other financial aid, unless the aid program requires the preferential treatment. Status is pending approval from the Senate Judiciary B Committee.

  • Senate Bill No. 130 − Law Enforcement: Authorizes retired law enforcement officers and retired law enforcement department heads to carry concealed firearms if POST certified at the time of retirement. Status is pending approval from the Senate Judiciary B Committee.

Rep. Pat Moore (D-Monroe)

  • House Bill No. 56 − Early Childhood: Authorizes the Monroe City Council School Board to levy a property tax to fund early childhood care and education. Status is pending on approval from House Municipal, Parochial, and Cultural Affairs.

  • House Bill No. 235 − Insurance/Health: Authorizes an individual to purchase a Medicare supplement policy offered through an affiliate of a health insurance issuer. Status is pending approval from House Insurance Committee.

  • House Bill No. 494 − Elections/Polling Places: Authorizes persons and organizations engaging in lawful nonpartisans activities to remain within six hundred feet of the entrance of a polling location. Status is pending approval from House and Governmental Affairs Committee.

  • House Bill No. 587 − Health Care/Providers: Creates the Louisiana Community Health Worker Workforce Board. Status is pending approval from House Health and Welfare Committee.

Rep. Neil Riser (R-Columbia)

  • House Bill No. 317 − Crime: Creates the crime of criminal access of an automated teller machine and provides for penalties. Status is pending approval from House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee.

  • House Bill No. 448 − Appropriations/Judgement: Appropriates funds for payment of the judgment against the state in the suit entitled Crooks v. State, Department of Natural Resources. Status is pending approval from House Appropriations Committee.

  • House Bill No. 547 − Secondhand Dealers: Provides procedures for the La. Used Motor Vehicle Commission to regulate catalytic converter dealer licenses and catalytic converter purchases and sales. Status is pending approval from House Commerce Committee.

  • House Bill No. 554 − Cemeteries: Relative to cemeteries, creates income distribution methods that can be implemented for perpetual care trust funds. Status is pending approval from House Commerce Committee.

  • House Bill No. 593 − Cemeteries: Provides for the general oversight of the La. Cemetery Board and procedures for cemetery care trust funds. Status is pending approval from House Commerce Committee.

  • House Concurrent Resolution No. 1 − Motor Vehicle/Towing: Amends state police administrative rules pertaining to full time employment requirements for tow companies. Status is pending approval from House Transportation, Highways and Public Works Committee.

Sen. Francis Thompson (R-Delhi)

  • House Bill No. 132 − Culture/Recreation/Tourism Department: Authorizes the secretary of the Dept. of Culture, Recreation and Tourism to enter sponsorship agreements and to authorize the placement of advertising and sponsorship signs on department property and assets. Status is pending approval from the House Municipal, Parochial, and Cultural Affairs Committee.

  • House Bill No. 194 − Children/Visitation Rights: Removes requirement that the parents of the child be married at the time of the death of a parent for grandparents to be entitled to post-adoption visitation rights. Status is pending approval from the House Civil Law and Procedure.

  • House Bill No. 329 − Coroners: Defines "municipality" for the purposes of payment for coroner's services and provides for the payment of expenses incurred in the disposition of paupers arranged by the coroners. Status is pending approval from the House Judiciary Committee.

  • House Bill No. 569 − Insurance: Modifies relative to property, casualty, and liability insurance providers with respect to the cancellation and nonrenewal of policies, deductibles, and rights of such insurers withdrawn from the homeowners' insurance market. Status is pending approval from the House Insurance Committee.

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This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: What bills are NELA legislators sponsoring or co-sponsoring?