Session Scoop: 2024 Bill Tracking Report

Louisiana REALTORS® • March 15, 2024

Bill Tracking Report as of 3/14/2024

Your Louisiana REALTORS® Bill Review Team met Wednesday, March 13th to determine the positions LR is taking on over 200 pieces of legislation.


Two complete versions of the Louisiana REALTORS® Bill Report are available below. One report has the bills in numerical order, and the other report sorts bills by Louisiana REALTORS® positions on the bills. Updated bill reports and a summary of the week’s events will be posted on the Louisiana REALTORS® website each Friday.


The first week of the 2024 Legislative Session was generally slow, but things will pick up next week when bills aimed to improve the property insurance market will be heard in committees.


These bills are of particular interest to members because in the 2023 Louisiana REALTORS® Getting to Home study, you made it clear your number one Louisiana REALTORS® advocacy goal is improving our property insurance market.   


Therefore, Louisiana REALTORS® is supporting several bills that have been filed to provide Louisiana Department of Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple the necessary tools to bring insurers back to Louisiana, and to retain all the tools necessary to protect consumers from 'bad actors'.


These bills would bring bold changes to Louisiana’s insurance market and end the days of our state being the outlier in many areas. Change is never easy, but Louisiana cannot expect different results if it is to maintain the status quo. 


A few of these measures include the following:


   1. Approval of Rates: HB 613 by Representative Gabe Firment and SB 295 by Heather Cloud

These bills would change Louisiana from requiring "prior approval" of proposed insurance rates to a "file & use" system of approving insurance rates, thereby allowing insurers to begin using an actuarily sound market rate subject to receiving the approval of the Commissioner of Insurance within 30 days. This would allow insurers to better manage their business and have more flexibility to price their products.


   2. Good Faith Claims Process: HB 678 by Representative Gabe Firment and SB 323 by Senator Kirk Talbot

These bills would establish and clarify the rights, duties, and timelines imposed on both the policyholder and insurer to ensure swift resolution of an insured’s claims, including offering insurance companies cure periods. SB 232 would retain an insured's ability to file a bad faith claim and receive the same court-awarded damages and attorney fees they could obtain under current law. HB 678 would adopt Texas's prompt payment of claims framework, including its provisions on cure periods, penalties/interest and attorney’s fees.


    3. 3-year Rule Modifications: SB 370 by Senator Adam Bass and HB 611 by Representative Gabe Firment

With a few exceptions, Louisiana’s 3-year rule essentially marries an insurer to an insured if the property insurance is in place for three years. Louisiana is the only place on the planet with this type of law giving us a notorious reputation in the insurance industry worldwide.


If adopted, both bills would allow insurers to slowly remove policies held under this law and provide that any policies written after August 1st would not be subject to the 3-year rule. There is talk of amendments being proposed to the bills to limit the number of existing policies that could be reduced in any given parish and any given zip code.



Bill Tracking Report by Numerical Order (as of 3/14/24) Bill Tracking Report by Position (as of 3/14/24)

Consumer Guide Update: 10 Tips for Unpacking

By Louisiana REALTORS® • June 18, 2026
NAR’s latest consumer guide, “10 Tips for Unpacking Smartly After a Move,” was developed to help ease the burden buyers may feel when surrounded by boxes. For your clients on the cusp of a move, the guide suggests establishing a priority unpacking order, wiping down each room before unpacking, discarding boxes quickly, having garbage and donation bags at the ready, and more. Share the new guide along with the companion guide “10 Tips for Packing Smartly for a Move.” As a reminder, all guides in this series are available for download—in both English and Spanish—on facts.realtor . Please allow up to two weeks for the Spanish version of the latest resource to be translated and uploaded. For ease of reference, below is a list of the most recent guides: NEW: 10 Tips For Unpacking Smartly After A Move UPDATED : Multiple Listing Services Overcoming Roadblocks to a Sale or Purchase How Solar Impacts a Real Estate Transaction Navigating Interest Rate Shifts Thank you for your continued engagement with the “Consumer Guide” series and for sharing the resources with prospective clients to ensure they have the information they need to find success in their home buying or selling journey. Remember that these guides are for informational purposes only and are not meant to enact or change any existing NAR policy. Check out the next consumer guide on identifying homebuying wants vs. needs.
Benefits of homeownership

Why Buying a Home Still Makes Sense: Long-Term Benefits of Homeownership

By Louisiana REALTORS® • June 15, 2026
Thinking about buying a home? Discover how homeownership can help build wealth, increase financial stability, and create lasting value.

Louisiana Residents Encouraged to Use New LDI Tools to Prepare for Hurricane Season

By Louisiana REALTORS® • June 9, 2026
From the Louisiana Department of Insurance: During a press conference today with Governor Jeff Landry, Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple announced that registration for the next round of the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program (LFHP) will open at 8 a.m. on Monday, June 1, and will include 3,000 grants. The registration period for this lottery will be open for three weeks, closing at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 19.  During the press conference, Gov. Landry signed HB 1187 by Rep. Paul Sawyer, which will allow Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation to transfer $50 million in additional Katrina bond assessment funds to the LFHP. Combined with the $30 million in funding the program will receive through taxes and fees on insurance entities, the LFHP will receive a total of $80 million this year. “By lowering overall losses, we can reduce insurance and reinsurance costs, draw more insurers into the market, motivate existing companies to write additional policies and lower insurance premiums,” said Commissioner Temple. “That is exactly what the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program is designed to do.” The list of coastal parishes that are eligible to participate is expanding to include Acadia, Jefferson Davis and Lafayette parishes. Additionally, homeowners who live in the portions of Ascension, Calcasieu, Iberia, Livingston, St. Martin, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Vermilion parishes that were previously not included in the program will now be eligible to participate. A map showing the full list of eligible parishes is available on FortifyHomes.La.Gov . “Louisiana is the fastest growing state in the country for Fortified roofs, and that growth is not by accident—it is the result of strong support from Governor Landry and legislators like Chairman Talbot, Chairman Firment and Representative Sawyer, targeted program design, and a clear recognition that strengthening homes is one of the most effective ways to reduce insurance losses,” said Commissioner Temple. “At the end of the day, this program is about more than just roofs. It is about protecting families, it is about strengthening communities, and it is about putting Louisiana in a stronger position—both physically and economically—to face the challenges ahead.” To participate in the lottery, homeowners must register during the June registration period. Homeowners who registered for a previous round but were not selected must register again to participate. People who register on the last day of the registration period have the same chance of being selected as those who register on the first day, so there is no need to rush to register as soon as the period opens. When registering, homeowners will need to upload their homestead exemption, insurance policy declarations page that includes wind coverage, and flood insurance declarations page if the residence is in a flood zone. Homeowners who need assistance obtaining a copy of their homestead exemption should contact their parish tax assessor. Homeowners can contact their homeowners and flood insurance companies or agents for a copy of their policy declarations page. Homeowners are required to create a profile in the LFHP system before registering for the lottery and may do so by visiting the LFHP website and clicking the Login button. Homeowners who previously created a profile may use the same one for this and future rounds. Once the lottery registration period closes, the LFHP will randomly select 3,000 participants and send email notifications to registrants about whether they were selected to participate. These selection notices will be sent via email beginning on Monday, June 22. There are several program requirements that homeowners should be aware of before registering. Those interested in the program are encouraged to review eligibility information and frequently asked questions at FortifyHomes.La.Gov to determine whether their home meets the requirements for the program. If selected to participate in the grant program, homeowners will be financially responsible for having the home evaluated by a FORTIFIED-certified Evaluator as well as costs for the roof upgrade including permits, inspections and construction costs beyond the amount of the grant The LFHP provides grants of up to $10,000 for homeowners to upgrade their roofs to standards set by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. The program helps Louisiana homeowners strengthen their roofs to better withstand hurricane-force winds.
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