Week One of Session & Interactive Bill Tracker
LOUISIANA REALTORS • March 12, 2020
Yesterday, the Louisiana REALTORS® Bill Review Team, made up of members from across the state, met and identified 107 bills that Louisiana REALTORS® will support, oppose, or monitor on behalf of its membership and consumers. This interactive Bill Tracking Report contains the position on each of these bills along with the status of each bill.
LEGISLATIVE BILL TRACKER
Any bill on the list can be accessed and viewed in its entirety by clicking on the number of the bill on the left of the page. A few of these bills that are likely to be of interest to you are highlighted and explained below. Should you have any questions, contact Kim Callaway, Director of Legal & Governmental Affairs.
REMOTE NOTARIZATION
HOUSE BILL NO. 122, REPRESENTATIVE GREGORY MILLERHOUSE
BILL NO. 274, REPRESENTATIVE RAYMOND GAROFALO
What: These bills propose to authorize the performance of notarial functions remotely using technology. 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.
If passed, this would not be effective until February 1, 2022.
Position: Support
Why: This would make real estate closings more efficient and the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) has supported similar efforts since November 2018.
REAL ESTATE LICENSE RENEWAL DATE
HOUSE BILL NO. 233, REPRESENTATIVE POLLY THOMAS
What:
This bill would require a real estate licensee to renew his or her real estate license by September 30th each year instead of December 31st.
If passed, the changes would take effect in 2021 for the 2022 license year.
Position:
Support
Why:
Louisiana REALTORS® believes the passage of this bill will address issues that may arise when agents or brokers may be practicing with expired licenses for failure to timely renew.
Currently, a real estate license is required to be renewed prior to January 1st of each year. If a licensee misses the renewal date, his or her license is considered expired immediately. This processing period and notice hopefully would allow for a delinquent licensee to remedy his or her failure to renew prior to his or her license expires.
RESIDENTIAL LEASE AGREEMENTS AND SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIMS
HOUSE BILL NO. 342, REPRESENTATIVE AIMEE FREEMAN
What:
This bill would allow for victims of sexual assault to receive early termination of their residential leases under certain circumstances and when certain actions are taken.
Position:
Oppose
Why:
Louisiana REALTORS® supports the concept of this legislation. However, as proposed the legislation is vague and could be applied in ways we believe were not intended. Louisiana REALTORS® will work with the author, proponents of the legislation, and other stakeholders to hopefully find a solution to the issues sought to be addressed.
RESIDENTIAL LEASES AND EVICTION REQUIREMENTS
HOUSE BILL NO. 388, REPRESENTATIVE MANDIE LANDRY
What:
This bill seeks to do the following: (1) Provide a grace period for nonpayment of rent; (2) Change the notice requirement for terminating month-to-month residential leases; and (3) Remove the ability for a lessee to waive their notice requirements.
Position:
Oppose
Why: A mandated delay for evictions would be 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. These and other items addressed in the proposed bill should be contractual issues between a landlord and tenant.
SHORT TERM RENTAL REGISTRATIONS
HOUSE BILL NO. 603, REPRESENTATIVE PAULA DAVIS
SENATE BILL NO. 179, SENATOR RONNIE JOHNS
What:
Both of these bills seek to require the owner of short-term rental properties to register the dwelling with the State Fire Marshal for a fee. The bills also require that the registration include an attestation by the owner that includes certain information about what kind of life safety devices are present in the dwelling. The bills propose monetary penalties for failure to register. This registration would be in addition to any registration or regulations a local governmental entity requires for short-term rental properties.
The bills differ in one key area – SB No. 179 authorizes the State Fire Marshal to investigate and inspect a short-term rental dwelling upon a complaint from any person or upon his own initiative when he deems necessary. If upon inspection, he finds the property is especially liable to fire, dangerous to life, or could engager property or occupants, he would be able to prohibit the dwelling from use until he certifies the hazardous condition was eliminated. HB No. 603 does not contain this language.
Position:
Oppose
Why:
Owner-occupied homes would be treated the same as investment properties thereby giving the State Fire Marshal authority to enter a person’s home. Louisiana REALTORS® believes this could be a serious property rights issue. Additionally, this would be burdensome for property owners and add to the costs of owning property.
Louisiana’s 2026 Regular Session opened this week with several developments that matter directly to REALTORS ®, property managers and housing providers, alongside some broader political shifts worth watching. HB 292: Security Deposit Return Timelines Rep. Delisha Boyd’s HB 292, which addresses procedures for returning residential security deposits, was deferred to next week. This provides additional time for stakeholders to engage with members on practical impacts for lease administration, move out inspections and documentation standards. We’ll continue working to ensure any changes to deposit law are clear, workable and do not expose housing providers to unreasonable liability. Land Use and Development: St. James Parish Decision The Louisiana Supreme Court’s recent St. James Parish decision significantly tightens the standards for overturning local land use decisions, reinforcing that zoning and permitting authority rests with parish and municipal governments as long as their decisions are not arbitrary or capricious. For real estate and development, that means more predictability if projects are aligned with adopted plans and ordinances, but also higher stakes in local elections, planning processes and parish-level negotiations. Governor’s State of the State In his State of the State address, Governor Jeff Landry reiterated his push to phase out the state income tax, expand the LA GATOR and MJ Foster scholarship and workforce programs, and replace vehicle inspection stickers with a QR code system. These programs frame a debate around long-term competitiveness, workforce readiness and household cost of living which are all key drivers of housing demand and migration patterns. Business & Market Trends The business community is focusing the session on insurance, workforce and energy. Commercial and property insurance costs remain a top concern for employers and property owners, and we are monitoring civil justice and insurance reform proposals that could affect market stability and availability. At the same time, Louisiana is seeing more than $100 billion in announced industrial and data center projects, which could reshape local markets, labor conditions and housing needs in multiple regions of the state. Please view the weekly bill tracking report at the link below provided by our lobbying team over at Harris, DeVille and Associates.
Learn how Louisiana real estate regulations, disclosure laws, and licensing standards help protect homebuyers and create safer, more transparent transactions.
Nominations are open now through April 24, 2026, for the Louisiana REALTORS® 2025 REALTOR® of the Year & the 2025 Lawrence R. DeMarcay, Jr. Distinguished Service Award. Both awards are aimed to showcase an individual who has volunteered their time in service to the real estate industry. Recipients of the awards will be recognized during the Spring Legislative Conference. (Registration coming soon!) Please see the below links with the selection criteria and consider submitting a nomination today. Contact Donna Teekel at (225) 224-0704 or dteekel@larealtors.org with any questions.
