Legislative Session Ends With Less Fanfare

Louisiana REALTORS • June 10, 2019

Written by Kim Callaway, Director of Legal & Governmental Affairs.

While previous sessions have ended with a bang and unfinished budgets, the 2019 Regular Legislative Session quietly ended Thursday, June 6 with a state budget passed with a few minutes to spare.  This is likely because legislators who are term limited are tired from a very long twelve years and those who will be running this fall did not wish to rock the boat in an election year.

Overall, the session only had a few hotly contested issues and fortunately those few issues did not include real estate related bills.  Louisiana REALTORS® will continue to advocate for legislation that benefits the real estate industry and property owners and to oppose legislation that would harm the real estate industry and property owners.

The following is a quick summary of legislation of interest to members of Louisiana REALTORS® with more detailed descriptions below:

Key items passed:   Laws beneficial to the appraisers and a law to help real estate associations offer timely and interesting courses for you to attend to meet your continuing education requirements

Key items prevented:   Attempts to allow local governments set homestead exemptions, a law to require owners of residential rental property to register the property with local governments for a fee, and a law to require a landlord wait longer to file to evict tenant for nonpayment of rent

Key items stalled:   Changes to the date a real estate license is renewed, the extension of a tax credit for rehabilitation of nonresidential historic structures, authorization of remote online notarization

BUT HOW DOES THIS AFFECT YOU AS A REALTOR®?  

Louisiana Real Estate Commission Related Bills

House Bill No. 299/Act 110, Representative Carmody

What:  A continuing education vendor will be able to bypass the standard continuing education course approval process and instead go directly to the Executive Director of the Louisiana Real Estate Commission to request approval for the class to be offered for continuing education credit if the course is:

(1)    A live course offered once a year in any one location and in conjunction with a conference, meeting, forum, or similar event held or sponsored by a state or local real estate trade association, or any affiliated Institute, Society, or Council.

(2)   Offered to obtain certifications or designations awarded by the National Association of REALTORS® or its affiliated institutes, societies, and councils.

A state entity can also use this simplified process in seeking approval of any course it would like to offer to real estate licensees for continuing education approval.

Position:  For

Status:   Signed by the Governor; effective August 1, 2019

Why:  The hope is that this fast track process will assist your state and local real estate associations in offering timely and interesting courses for you to attend to meet your continuing education requirements.

House Bill No. 353, Representative Emerson

What: This bill would have required a real estate licensee to renew his or her license with the Louisiana Real Estate Commission by October 31st.  If a licensee failed to renew by that time, he or she would have had a delinquent renewal two months prior to the expiration period. This would have then allowed any licensee who failed to timely renew two months to remedy the delinquency without the license being expired.

Position:  For

Status:  The bill failed to pass in the House Committee on Commerce. 

Why the Committee Did not Allow the Bill to Pass:   The committee members questioned whether there would be adequate time to notify licensees of the change and the wisdom of requiring the renewal by October 31 rather than July 1st or by the licensee’s birthday as required in other professions and occupations.

Why Louisiana REALTORS® Supported the Bill:  This would have allowed a real state licensee who failed to renew his or her real estate license with the Louisiana Real Estate Commission two months to remedy the delinquency without the license being expired. Louisiana REALTORS® supported this bill and will work with the Louisiana Real Estate Commission and legislators to find a solution to help the industry.

Appraisers

House Bill No. 340/Act No. 37, Representative Paul Hollis

What:  This will allow an appraiser to perform an evaluation on property for a federally insured depository institution if federal law or rule permits them to do so.

Status:  Signed by the Governor; effective August 1, 2019

Position:  For

Why:  The change will allow appraisers to perform services that they are currently prohibited from offering.

Senate Bill No. 191, Senator Norby Chabert

What:   Proposes time limitations in which appraisers can be sued for their work.  The limitation would not apply to any action filed prior to January 1, 2020 and the change would not be effective until January 1, 2020.

Status:   Sent to the Governor

Position:   For

Why:   Louisiana REALTORS® is in favor of this bill because its passage would allow for appraisers to have some certainty that they will not be sued for their work after a certain period of time.

Homestead Exemption

The Louisiana State Constitution currently includes an exemption from state, parish, and special ad valorem property taxes for the bona fide homestead of a property owner for the first $7,500 of assessed valuation ($75,000 of the fair market value). 

House Bill No. 12, Representative Steve Carter - DEFEATED

What:   This was a constitutional amendment that would have allowed each parish to set their homestead exemption lower than the current homestead exemption.

Status:   Failed to pass House Ways and Means Committee

Position:  Against

Why:  Louisiana REALTORS® believes that allowing each parish to set their own homestead exemption could lead to unpredictability for your clients and somewhat destabilize the real estate market.

if this bill had passed and voters approved the change in October, then each parish would then be able to vote to reduce their homestead exemption if the parish governing authority had put the issue on the ballot.

Buyers would not be able to predict their potential property tax bill with any certainty from year to year; therefore, potentially prohibiting them from purchasing a home or buying a smaller home to compensate for a possible spike in property taxes.  The real estate market may not be stable unless buyers know when they are negotiating home purchases that the homestead exemption will remain the same for a long period in the parish where they are contemplating purchasing a home. 

House Bill No. 439, Representative Barry Ivey - DEFEATED

What:  This bill proposed a constitutional amendment that would have allowed each parish to adjust the amount of the homestead exemption – higher or lower than the current exemption - if the voters in the parish approved of doing so. 

Status:   Pending in House Ways and Means Committee

Position:  Against

Why:  The same reasons House Bill No. 12 is opposed.

HB No. 439 by Representative Ivey proposed a constitutional amendment that would have allowed each parish to adjust the amount of the homestead exemption if the voters in the parish approved of doing so.  This bill was similar to House Bill No.12 but differed in that it would have allowed the homestead exemption to be set higher or lower in any parish.

Louisiana REALTORS® opposed this bill for the same reasons it opposed House Bill No. 12.

Rental and Landlord/Tenant

Senate Bill No. 218, Senator Barrow - DEFEATED

What:  This bill originally was filed to create a mechanism to address private property owners who operate group homes for members of the population who may be vulnerable.  The concept of the bill came about following the discovery of a group home in Baton Rouge where residents appeared to be severely neglected and showed signs of abuse.

However, the bill was amended in the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare to be a bill that would have required a property owner to register “a residential dwelling from which the property owner receives payment from the occupants in return for occupying or using the property” with local government. 

The bill as amended in committee would have required each property owner to pay a registration fee of up to $500 (reduced by Senate Floor Amendment) to the local governing authority registering the property and if the owner failed to register the property then he or she would be assessed up to $150 per week (reduced by Senate Floor  Amendment) by the local governing entity. 

 In effect, this bill would have required local governments to establish rental registries.

Position:   Against with amendments

Status:   Senator Barrow stated that she will not bring the bill back up on the Senate floor and would continue to study the issue of group homes in the interim.

Why:   Louisiana REALTORS® opposed the amended bill for the following reasons:

·       Thousands of good landlords should not be punished for the actions of those who do not properly maintain their property or value their tenants.

·       A rental registry for all residential rental property would have been another layer of burdensome and unnecessary government overreach. 

·       This could have driven up rental rates resulting in fewer affordable housing units.

·       The fees proposed by this bill were excessive.

Senate Bill No. 28, Senator Price  - DEFEATED

What:  With committee amendments, the bill would have mandated residential landlords whose tenants did not timely pay rent to wait five days to institute eviction proceedings.

Position :  Against

Status :  Failed to move out of Senate Committee on Judiciary A

Why :  A mandated delay would have been onerous on landlords.  Each day a rental property is vacant, or a nonpaying tenant is residing in the property is a day the landlord is not producing income from the property.  This should be a contractual issue between a landlord and tenant.

Miscellaneous

House Bill No. 83, Representative Jimmy Harris

What:  This bill would have extended the sunset of the tax credit for rehabilitation of nonresidential historic structures to January 1, 2026 .  The tax credit for rehabilitation of nonresidential historic tax structures is now set to expire on January 1, 2022.  An amendment was added on the House Floor that would limit the amount of tax credits awarded in a calendar year to $150 million and providing for the awarding of the tax credits on a first come, first-serve basis.

Status:   Passed House, Pending Senate Finance

The bill did not pass due to the anticipated cost to the state.  The extension cannot be filed in the 2020 Regular Legislative Session because of the constitutional restriction on legislating pertaining to tax matters in an even numbered year.  However, a fiscal special session may be called in 2020 and if so, hopefully the credit will be extended then.

Position:  For

Why:  This program has helped preserve many historic buildings throughout Louisiana. 

The use of tax credits encourages private sector rehabilitation of historic buildings and is one of the most successful and cost-effective community revitalization programs. These programs generate jobs and create commercial, residential, and industrial spaces within historic buildings.

House Bill No. 514, Representative Garofalo

What:   This bill would have allowed for certain documents to be notarized remotely.  Remote online notarization is when documents are notarized in an electronic form where the signer uses an electronic signature and appears before the notary using online audio-video technology.

Status:   Reported out of House Committee on Civil Law and Procedure; was never heard on House floor

Position:   For

Why:   Remote online notarization is a tool which could modernize the sales transaction and allow for increased flexibility when it comes to closings. When implemented with appropriate safeguards to protect the privacy and security of consumers, online notarization results in a more accessible, streamlined, and verifiable way to have critical transactions notarized.

House Bill No.  317/Act No. 72, Representative Howard

What:  Authorizes the creation of a Louisiana REALTORS® special prestige license plate

The bill will allow a special prestige license plate to be made available for members of Louisiana REALTORS®.  All members will eventually be able to purchase the plate for their vehicle from the office of motor vehicles upon payment of their registration fee, an additional $10 annual fee that would benefit the Louisiana REALTORS® Relief Fund, and a $3.50 production fee.  However, it will likely be a few years before the plate will be available as the office of motor vehicles is undergoing a complete renovation of their motor vehicle registration system.

Status:   Signed by the Governor

Position :  For

Why :  Louisiana REALTORS® asked that this bill be filed so you can show your REALTOR® pride while also helping the Louisiana REALTORS® Relief Fund.

House Bill No. 372, “Omnibus Premium Reduction Act”, Representative Kirk Talbot

What:  House Bill No. 372 would have changed laws that govern many aspects of personal injury lawsuits in the hopes that the changes would have led to lower auto insurance rates for Louisiana individuals, families and businesses.

Status:   Failed to move out of Senate Committee on Judiciary A

In a recent survey of members of Louisiana REALTORS®, you told us that keeping up with technology was your biggest operational concern, but the top second and third concerns were the potential for litigation and insurance costs. If this bill would have become law, the hope was that your potential for litigation would be reduced and your insurance costs would have gone down. 

The issue of “civil justice reform” and changing laws to lower insurance rates is sure to be a campaign issue in this fall’s elections.

LR2019Legislative Wins.png

2026 Legislative Session Scoop - Week 9 Recap

By Louisiana REALTORS® • May 8, 2026
Week 9 brought several major Louisiana REALTORS® priorities into posture as the Legislature moved deeper into the final stretch of the session. Two of our top priority bills, HB 468 and HB 1027 both by Representative Troy Hebert , cleared the Legislative Bureau and advanced to the Senate floor calendar for third reading and final passage. HB 468, our residential wholesaling regulation bill, remains one of the most important consumer protection measures of the session. The bill brings transparency, accountability, and clear rules of the road to residential real estate wholesaling in Louisiana. HB 468 previously passed the House by a vote of 96–0 and is now positioned for final Senate consideration. HB 1027, which clarifies that licensed real estate appraisers are not liable for a seller’s failure to comply with carbon monoxide detector requirements, also advanced to the Senate floor calendar after previously passing the House by a vote of 90–0. Both bills remain in strong posture, and Louisiana REALTORS® will continue working for final passage as they move through the Senate. Another major development this week was the House passage of HB 1166 by Representative Kim Carver , which passed unanimously on May 5, 103–0. HB 1166 creates a practical disclosure framework for vacant residential property transactions and is designed to help buyers, sellers and real estate professionals avoid late-stage surprises involving access, utilities, drainage, flood risk, prior use and other material property conditions. This bill has been a key part of Louisiana REALTORS®’ consumer protection and transactional clarity agenda. HB 1166 was received in the Senate on May 7 and now moves into the Senate side of the process, where Louisiana REALTORS® will continue working closely with the author and stakeholders as the bill advances. Tort reform and civil justice issues also moved forward this week. HB 437 by Representative Michael Melerine , which addresses the award of expert witness fees in civil litigation, passed the House by a vote of 75–18 and was received in the Senate on May 7. HB 1089 by Representative Dennis Bamburg Jr. , which creates structured CARE Accounts for certain categories of tort damages, passed the House by a vote of 67–29 and was also received in the Senate. Louisiana REALTORS® continue to support meaningful tort reform as part of the broader effort to improve Louisiana’s legal environment, reduce litigation-driven costs, and help stabilize the property insurance market. A more predictable civil justice system directly supports property owners, consumers, businesses and the long-term health of Louisiana’s real estate market. Property insurance remains one of the most important issues facing homeowners and property owners across the state. HB 1187 by Representative Paul Sawyer , dealing with Citizens Property Insurance emergency assessments, has been received in the Senate and referred to the Senate Insurance Committee after previously passing the House by a vote of 87–9. Several additional insurance-related measures remain active, including bills addressing fortified roof endorsements, stated-value homeowner policies, insurance notice requirements, nonrenewal restrictions, and pre-suit claim review. HB 408 , which addresses insurance nonrenewal prohibitions, and HB 1210 , which addresses mandatory pre-suit claim review, remain pending in the House Insurance Committee. Louisiana REALTORS® will continue to closely monitor these measures because insurance affordability, availability and market stability remain central to housing affordability and private property ownership in Louisiana. Several Senate bills also continued moving through the House processes this week. SB 241 by Senator Valarie Hodges , which requires insurance adjusters and appraisers to include their license numbers in written communications, cleared the Legislative Bureau on May 6 and returned to the House floor calendar. This measure remains relevant to transparency, accountability, and consumer confidence in the insurance claims process. SB 180 by Senator Franklin Foil , which allows surviving spouses of deceased disabled veterans to transfer their expanded property tax exemption, was scheduled for House floor debate this week and remains a positive homeowner protection and property tax fairness measure. Louisiana REALTORS® also continues to monitor legislation dealing with blight, redevelopment and rent stabilization. HB 284 by Representative John Wyble , which would authorize certain parishes and municipalities to expropriate blighted property by declaration of taking, remained on the House calendar this week as a notice-given, subject-to-call bill. The bill previously failed on the House floor by a narrow vote of 48–47 and remains under active reconsideration. Blight policy is important, but redevelopment tools must be balanced with private property rights, due process, and protections for property owners. HB 472 by Representative Alonzo Knox , which would authorize municipalities to implement rent stabilization programs, remains involuntarily deferred in committee. Louisiana REALTORS® continues to oppose rent control and rent stabilization proposals in any form because these policies reduce housing supply, discourage investment, and ultimately worsen affordability challenges over time. As we move into Week 10, Louisiana REALTORS® will remain focused on securing final Senate passage of HB 468 and HB 1027, advancing HB 1166 through the Senate, and continuing to engage on the tort reform and insurance measures that directly affect property owners, housing affordability and the real estate profession. With REALTOR® Day at the Capitol taking place during this critical stretch of the session, member engagement will be especially important as legislators continue to make decisions on real estate, insurance, liability, redevelopment and private property rights issues. Please view the weekly bill tracking report provided by our lobbying team over at Harris, DeVille and Associates.

2026 Legislative Session Scoop - Week 8 Recap

By Louisiana REALTORS® • May 1, 2026
Week 8 was one of the most consequential weeks of the session so far for Louisiana REALTORS® and the real estate industry. Two of the association’s flagship bills moved to the brink of final Senate action, rent stabilization was stopped again in committee, major insurance legislation continued to advance, and several bills affecting property rights, tort reform and transaction practice saw meaningful movement. The biggest developments of the week came on HB 468 and HB 1027 , both by Rep. Troy Hebert . HB 468 , the residential wholesaling bill, cleared the Senate Commerce Committee on April 28, had its amendments adopted on April 29, and was referred to the Legislative Bureau putting it one step away from the Senate floor. HB 1027 , the appraiser liability bill, followed the same path after its overwhelming House passage earlier this month and is also now pending Legislative Bureau review before final Senate consideration. Louisiana REALTORS® strongly supports both measures, which are designed to strengthen consumer protection, improve market clarity and reinforce confidence in the real estate transaction process. On the rent-control front, HB 472 by Rep. Alonzo Knox was brought back before the House Municipal, Local and Parochial Affairs Committee this week. Louisiana REALTORS® testified in opposition, and the committee voted 8-5 to defer the bill involuntarily. That is a meaningful win for property owners, housing providers, and the long-term health of Louisiana’s housing market. Louisiana REALTORS® remains firmly opposed to rent stabilization proposals, which may sound politically attractive, but have consistently been tied to reduced housing supply, deterioration in rental stock and long-term affordability problems in markets where they are adopted. Insurance remained one of the session’s most active and important policy areas. HB 1187, Rep. Paul Sawyer , dealing with Louisiana Citizens for emergency assessments, passed the full House 87-9 on April 29, and now heads to the Senate. Because Citizens' assessments can ultimately affect policyholders across the state, this bill has clear relevance for affordability and homeownership costs. HB 408, Rep. Edmond Jordan was heard in House Insurance Committee this week and remains pending. This bill would prohibit insurers from non-renewing residential policies when homeowners have taken documented steps to reduce risk, an issue with direct implications for insurability and failed closings in vulnerable markets. In addition, SB 241 by Sen. Valarie Hodges , which requires insurance adjusters and appraisers to include their license numbers in written communications, cleared House Insurance unanimously and is now headed to the House floor. Taken together, these measures reflect the legislature’s continued focus on insurance stability, transparency and accountability, all of which remain central to real estate activity in Louisiana. Week 8 also brought movement on broader tort reform and property-rights-related legislation. HB 437 , addressing expert witness fees, and HB 1089 , creating structured CARE Accounts for tort damages, both cleared House Civil Law and are now set for House floor debate next week. Meanwhile, SB 180 by Sen. Franklin Foil , allowing surviving spouses of disabled veterans to transfer a property tax exemption, is nearing final House passage after advancing to third reading. While not all of these bills directly regulate licensees, they reflect the broader civil liability and property tax environment that affects the cost and accessibility of owning property in Louisiana. Another key bill for the industry, HB 1166 by Rep. Kim Carver , remains very much alive and is now positioned for House floor debate on Tuesday, May 5 . The bill would require disclosures for vacant residential property, and it would close an existing gap in Louisiana law that currently exempts many vacant homes from standard seller disclosure rules. After being called and returned to the calendar earlier in the week, the bill is now finally set for debate. Louisiana REALTORS® also intends to use the bill as a vehicle for a structural amendment to the Louisiana Real Estate Commission that would move toward a more geographically balanced appointment process, with one member appointed from each congressional district and the remaining members appointed at large. That change would better ensure regional representation across Louisiana’s diverse real estate markets and help modernize the commission’s structure. Taken together, week 8 was a strong and consequential week for Louisiana REALTORS®. The association’s two flagship bills are now within reach of Senate floor passage, rent stabilization was turned back in committee, important insurance legislation continued moving, and HB 1166 remains positioned as both a major disclosure bill and a possible vehicle for meaningful LREC reform. Louisiana REALTORS® remains fully engaged at every stage of the process to protect private property rights, support practical regulation and advance policies that strengthen Louisiana’s real estate market. Lastly, this week, Louisiana REALTORS® wants to extend sincere thanks to Rep. Delisha Boyd — a real estate broker herself — for her tireless work shepherding HB 292 through the legislative process. The security deposit fairness bill, which allows landlords and tenants to mutually agree in writing to extend the timeline for returning a security deposit when damage is found, has passed to third reading and final passage in the Senate and is nearly on its way to the Governor's desk. This has been a meaningful win for both property owners and renters across Louisiana. Please view the weekly bill tracking report provided by our lobbying team over at Harris, DeVille and Associates.
Compliant advertising under the Fair Housing Act

Navigating Fair Housing Advertising Standards: A Guide for Real Estate Professionals

By Louisiana REALTORS® • April 24, 2026
Avoid costly fair housing violations with expert tips on compliant real estate advertising, from listing language to social media targeting strategies.
Show More