The 2024 regular session of the Louisiana legislature began on March 11th and extends 85 days until its adjournment on June 3rd. It will be Louisiana’s third legislative session of the year. The first session was a special session dedicated to congressional redistricting and closed-primary voting. The second session was also a special session but focusing on law enforcement reform only, and the third session just ahead is wide open when it comes to types of subject matters that can be filed as bills, or pieces of legislation. The question here is - How much do you really care?

It’s a fair question given most people just sit at the bottom of the hill all of their lives and allow politics to rain down on them, in whatever form or fashion. This type of complacency is easy to understand, with so many stories of corruption in politics being exposed every day. There is good news, however. The current Louisiana legislative process is not broken, and it’s still available to any group or individual that wants to use it to make positive change. You might say that you don’t want change and just want to be left alone. There is bad news for you, then. The Louisiana legislative process is churning 365 days a year 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with or without your participation, and they will make major decisions Without your approval or input. Many of these decisions would negatively affect your profession or industry, as well as your daily lives in ways that you cannot imagine, if you don’t participate.

Here’s another question for you. If you had false charges being brought against you in court, would you send your lawyer to court without you? You shouldn’t do this with your association or your lobbyist either. This doesn’t mean you have to physically go to the legislature or even sign up to be a member of the legislative committee. What it does mean is that you send an email to the LAFP headquarters now. Make sure that your contact information is linked to the LAFP legislative grassroots email program. This database needs to be current so when it’s time to put pressure on the legislature and do the right thing on an issue, the LAFP grassroots network can be electronically activated through emails and texts and be affective immediately. You might be called upon to participate on an important issue in the legislative session in a few weeks, so send that email to HQ today.

One such important issue coming in the session is insurance rates, and the issue promises to take center stage at the 2024 legislature as many bills have already been filed In Baton Rouge attempting to address the issue.  If you own a vehicle or a home or you own a business that owns multiple vehicles, then you know insurance reform in Louisiana is way past due, as insurance has become cost-prohibitive for many Louisiana people and businesses. Several insurance reforms have already been put in place over the past few years in Louisiana, and there are many pieces of legislation to reform the automobile and homeowners insurance industry filed in this session. Still, how does such a complicated mess get fixed? It’s simple. Follow the money. If that ever happens, there would be a battle-Royale down in Baton Rouge.

If you’ve made it this far, you know that this is more of a call to action than it is an article about Louisiana politics for your reading pleasure, so here’s your participation homework. First, contact your industry or profession’s association to make sure you are on the legislative grassroots list to participate. Second, use this legislator, finder tool https://legis.la.gov/legis/FindMyLegislators.aspx to find out who your state senator and representatives are. Third, reach out to your legislators via email. Introduce yourself as a resource for your industry or profession. Tell the legislators in the email that if you don’t have the answer to a question that they have, you will find it and get back with them. Your legislators will also greatly appreciate this relationship with their voting constituent.

If only half of your association members would put these three fundamentals in place, there would be no limits as to what your association, along with its members, could do to promote and protect your industry or profession at the Louisiana legislature. There would be no governor, no legislative body , no opponent group that could impede or deny your association’s ability to create and maintain a spot at the table in Baton Rouge continuing to ensure that your industry or your profession is not on the menu.

Sincerely,

Joe Mapes
LAFP Lobbyist