2018 Legislative Session Recap

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Louisiana REALTORS® closed out Week 12 of the 2026 Regular Session in the final push toward sine die, with several priority bills either crossing the finish line, landing on the Governor’s desk, or moving through the last major stage of session. The headline for the association is a major win on HB 468 by Rep. Troy Hebert, the residential wholesaling bill, which cleared conference committee with the fixes Louisiana REALTORS® was seeking and was scheduled for final House action on May 29. With the constitutional deadline for third reading and final passage falling on Friday, May 29, and sine die adjournment set for Monday, June 1, the last hours of session became decisive for the remaining bills still in motion. The lead priority remained HB 468 , which is the flagship Louisiana REALTORS® package bill on residential wholesaling. After the House rejected Senate amendments 91-0 on May 20, the bill moved into conference committee rather than dying. House conferees were named as Rep. Troy Hebert, Rep. Phillip Deshotel, and Rep. Jacob Landry, while Senate conferees were named as Sen. Miller, Sen. Allain, and Sen. Connick. The conference committee report was received by both chambers on May 27, and the bill was then scheduled for final House action on May 29. This remains one of the most important bills of the session for the real estate industry because it creates a clearer regulatory framework for residential wholesaling, strengthens consumer protections, and gives the Louisiana Real Estate Commission enforcement authority over the practice. The session also produced a strong slate of enacted real estate, housing, and property-management wins. HB 1027 , the appraiser liability bill, was signed by the Governor as Act No. 187 on May 15 and becomes effective August 1, 2026. HB 292 , dealing with security deposits, was signed as Act No. 63 on May 11 and also becomes effective August 1, 2026. HB 297, expanding lease termination protections for stalking and cyberstalking victims, was signed as Act No. 64 on May 11. HB 300 , dealing with appraisal thresholds for bank-owned property, was signed as Act No. 149 on May 15. Taken together, these measures represent meaningful wins for appraisal certainty, leasing, property management, and transaction stability. Several additional REALTOR®-relevant measures cleared the Legislature and moved to the Governor’s desk by the close of Week 12. HB 1166 by Rep. Kim Carver, the vacant residential property disclosure bill, passed the Senate 38-0 on May 25 and was sent to the Governor on May 27. This is one of the most important real estate bills of the session because it closes an existing gap in Louisiana law for vacant residential properties and should help reduce late-stage surprises involving condition issues, access, utility status, and other material facts that can derail transactions. HB 1187 , dealing with Louisiana Citizens emergency assessments, was sent to the Governor on May 26 and remains an important insurance-affordability measure for homeowners across the state. HB 217 , the optional blight rehabilitation tax exemption bill, was sent to the Governor on May 21 and, together with HB 214 , strengthens the redevelopment toolkit for returning derelict property to commerce. On the constitutional amendment side, Louisiana REALTORS® also saw meaningful progress on broader property-tax and redevelopment issues. HB 214 , authorizing a property tax exemption for rehabilitated blighted or derelict properties, became Act No. 272 and was sent to the Secretary of State for placement on the ballot. SB 180, allowing the surviving spouse of a deceased veteran with a service-connected disability to transfer an expanded property tax exemption, became Act No. 39 and was likewise sent to the Secretary of State for ballot placement. These measures remain relevant to neighborhood revitalization, property-tax fairness, and broader housing stability across Louisiana. Insurance and mitigation policy continued to matter through the final days of session. HB 759 , relating to fortified roof endorsement offers, remained alive on the Senate floor subject to call and needed final Senate passage by the May 29 deadline to survive. That bill remained important because fortified roof policy sits directly at the intersection of mitigation, homeowner resilience, and insurance affordability. At the same time, slower-moving insurance measures such as HB 408 on non-renewal protections for homeowners who timely mitigate and HB 1210 on pre-suit claim review for residential property insurance did not advance this session, but both remain relevant to the longer-term insurance affordability discussion. Week 12 also highlighted the value of Louisiana REALTORS®’s defensive work. HB 617, the hidden-fees bill, stalled in Senate Commerce and effectively ran out of time. That was a meaningful defensive win, as the concern throughout was that broad fee-disclosure language could have unfairly placed liability on real estate professionals for charges they do not control, including fees set by lenders, title companies, insurers, government entities, and other third parties. HB 472 , the rent stabilization bill, remained dead after being involuntarily deferred, which is another meaningful win from a property-rights and housing-supply standpoint, though similar language always remains worth watching late in session. HB 750, dealing with automatic renewal contracts, remained alive on the Senate floor subject to call and continued to require defensive monitoring so that broad subscription language would not bleed into leases, property management agreements, association dues, or nonprofit and association activity. The broader civil justice and cost environment also remained part of the policy picture, even where bills stalled. HB 437 , dealing with expert witness fees, and HB 1089 , dealing with CARE Accounts, both passed the House but stalled in Senate Judiciary A. While they did not advance this session, they remain part of the larger conversation around litigation costs, insurance affordability, and the long-term cost structure affecting property owners, housing providers, and small businesses. The bottom line for the 2026 session is that it was a strong one for Louisiana REALTORS®. The association’s flagship wholesaling bill, HB 468 , cleared conference committee with the fixes we wanted and moved to final House action. Four major REALTOR®-relevant bills were already enacted into law: HB 1027, HB 292, HB 297, and HB 300 . Two property-tax constitutional amendments, HB 214 and SB 180 , are headed to the ballot. Three additional bills, HB 1166, HB 1187, and HB 217 , reached the Governor’s desk. On defense, rent stabilization was stopped, the hidden-fees bill stalled, and problematic consumer language in other measures was monitored closely through the final days of session. Louisiana REALTORS® remained engaged through the end on every issue affecting real estate transactions, mortgages and lending, insurance affordability, property management, private property rights, blight and redevelopment, property taxes, and housing supply across Louisiana.