2019 Legislative Session Kicks Off

Louisiana REALTORS • April 15, 2019

Written by Kim Callaway, Director of Legal and Governmental Affairs, Louisiana REALTORS ®

The 2019 Louisiana Legislative Session started Monday, April 8th with much less fanfare than it has started with in previous years.  This is likely because it is a fiscal session during which each legislator may file only five (5) bills of a general nature and an unlimited number of bills of a tax or local nature.  However, there are still 140 fewer bills filed this year than in 2017, the last fiscal session.  This decline in bills is likely because it is an election year and legislators generally prefer a low-key session in these years.

Despite the low bill count, your Louisiana REALTORS® Bill Review Team, which is made up of members from across the state, met and identified 103 bills that Louisiana REALTORS® will support, oppose, or monitor on your behalf. An interactive Bill Tracking Report contains the position of Louisiana REALTORS® on each of these bills and the status of each bill.  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.

REAL ESTATE LICENSE RENEWAL DATE

House Bill No.  353, Representative Julie Emerson

What:  This bill would require a real estate licensee to renew his or her real estate license on or before October 31st of each year instead of December 31st. 

Position:  For

Why:  Louisiana REALTORS® believes the passage of this bill will address potential 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 bill would instead require a licensee to renew his or her real estate license on or before October 31st of each year.  A license would not be immediately expired if a licensee fails to meet the proposed October 31st deadline to renew.  He or she would be considered to have a delinquent renewal and would still be able to renew his or her license prior to its expiration upon payment of the renewal fee and a delinquent fee. 

Louisiana REALTORS® believes the passage of this bill will address the issue of agents or brokers practicing with expired licenses for failure to timely renew.  It would potentially give the Louisiana Real Estate Commission time to process renewals prior the license expiration date and to notify a licensee that he or she has a delinquent renewal.  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 expiring.

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).  There are a few bills filed this year that propose to make changes to this exemption.

House Bill No. 12, Representative Steve Carter

What:  This is a constitutional amendment that would allow each parish to set their homestead exemption lower than the current homestead exemption that is the same statewide.

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.

HB No. 12 by Representative Steve Carter proposes a constitutional amendment that would allow each parish to reduce the amount of the homestead exemption if the voters in the parish approved.  However, no parish would be able to set the homestead exemption higher than the current exemption.

if this bill passes the Legislature and voters approve the change in October, then each parish could then vote to reduce their homestead exemption if the parish governing authority puts the issue on the ballot.

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.

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

What:  This bill proposes a constitutional amendment that would allow 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. 

Position:  Against

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

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

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

House Bill No. 136, Representative Steve Pylant

What:  The homestead exemption would only apply after taxes were paid on the first $1,000 of assessed value of a homestead.

Position:  For

Why:  The proposed change in the homestead exemption would be less likely to affect the predictability of property tax bills for your clients and stability in the real estate market. 

House Bill No. 136 by Representative Steve Pylant would keep the homestead exemption the same, but  proposes a constitutional amendment to apply that exemption only after the first $1,000 of assessed valuation ($10,000 of fair market value) of a homestead is taxed.

If this bill passes the Legislature and voters approve the change in October, then homeowners would pay property taxes for the first $1,000 of assessed value on their home beginning in 2020.

Louisiana REALTORS® is in favor of this bill as the change proposed is less likely to affect the predictability of property tax bills for your clients and stability in the real estate market.  The proposition is a fair way to change the homestead exemption if the Legislature and voters have the will to do so.

APPRAISALS

House Bill No. 340, Representative Paul Hollis

What:  This bill would 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.

Position:  For

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

State law currently prohibits a licensed real estate appraiser from performing an evaluation on property for a federally insured depository institution.  This bill would change that and allow an appraiser to perform an evaluation for these institutions if federal law or rule permits them to do so.

Louisiana REALTORS® is in favor of this legislation because it would allow appraisers to perform services that they are currently prohibited from offering.

House Bill No. 344, Representative Paula Davis

Senate Bill No. 191, Senator Norby Chabert

What:   Both bills proposed time limitations in which appraisers can be sued for their work.

Position:   For

Why:   The passage of these bills would allow for appraisers a to have some certainty that they will not be sued for their work after a certain period of time.

Currently there is no time limit on when an appraiser can be sued for issues arising from an appraisal he conducts.  These bills would limit the time in which an appraisal professional could be sued for issues arising from an appraisal.

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

 

2026 Legislative Session Scoop - Week 5 Recap

By Louisiana REALTORS® • April 10, 2026
This week at the Capitol, Louisiana REALTORS® saw meaningful movement on several issues that directly impact the real estate industry. Most notably, HB 468 by Representative Troy Hebert, a key part of our legislative agenda, passed the House unanimously, 96–0, and now heads to the Senate. The bill creates a clear framework for regulating residential real estate wholesaling, strengthens disclosure requirements and gives the Louisiana Real Estate Commission enforcement authority, including penalties for violations. That vote margin speaks for itself and reflects strong bipartisan support for greater transparency and accountability in this market segment. We are also closely engaged on legislation tied to blight, redevelopment and property rights. HB 217 by Representative Chance Henry, which authorizes an optional property tax exemption for blighted or derelict properties that have been rehabilitated, and ties that exemption to local redevelopment plans, passed the House floor by an 84–12 vote. It is now moving through the Senate process. Louisiana REALTORS® supports HB 217 because it creates another tool to encourage redevelopment, return distressed property to productive use and strengthen communities when implemented responsibly. Louisiana REALTORS® also support Representative John Wyble’s HB 284 , which would authorize certain parishes and municipalities to address blighted property through a declaration-of-taking process in limited jurisdictions. HB 284 is currently subject to a call on House final passage. While any proposal involving expropriation deserves careful attention, we support the goal of giving communities practical tools to deal with truly blighted and abandoned property that drags down surrounding neighborhoods, depresses property values and slows local recovery. Insurance remains one of the biggest issues of the session and continues to affect housing affordability and market stability across Louisiana. Lawmakers are working on proposals to reduce premiums, increase competition and improve the overall insurance climate. The Fortified Roof Program continues to generate significant discussion and, candidly, a fair amount of noise, but Louisiana REALTORS® and our coalition partners are actively monitoring all avenues to ensure the final result is practical and beneficial for homeowners, and the broader real estate market. These conversations remain closely tied to tort reform, which continues to be a major part of the effort to address insurance costs and availability. We are also monitoring HB 673 by Representative Phelps , which would authorize the state fire marshal to require owners or lessees of abandoned or blighted structures to install and maintain exterior security cameras and retain footage for at least 30 days. Louisiana REALTORS® opposes this bill because it creates a costly new mandate on property owners without addressing the root causes of blight, and it could create additional liability and compliance burdens for property owners, property managers and others involved in distressed property. At this time, the bill remains pending in the House Commerce Committee and is slated to be heard next week. We also remain actively engaged on several other priorities within our legislative agenda including ongoing work on vacant property disclosure and efforts to provide greater clarity on appraiser liability related to carbon monoxide detector requirements. In particular, we are working closely with the Louisiana Real Estate Commission and Representative Carver to position HB 1166 in the strongest and most workable posture possible, with a clear focus on protecting Louisiana real estate agents and their clients from unnecessary liability, reducing confusion in the transaction process, and ensuring that any new disclosure requirements are practical, fair and clearly defined. Our goal is to ensure the final product supports consumer transparency without imposing undue burdens on our members and not exposing agents across Louisiana to unintended risk. As the session continues, Louisiana REALTORS® will remain focused on protecting consumers, supporting responsible redevelopment, defending private property rights and advancing sound policy that strengthens the real estate market for our members and the clients they serve. Please view the weekly bill tracking report provided by our lobbying team over at Harris, DeVille and Associates.

2026 Legislative Session Scoop - Week 4 Recap

By Louisiana REALTORS® • April 3, 2026
This week, the Legislature remained in high gear, and several items relevant to Louisiana’s real estate market moved into focus. The biggest headline for our industry this week was HB 468 by Rep. Troy Hebert , our wholesaling/consumer-protection bill, was slated to be heard on the House floor, however was bumped due to floor congestion and out-of-order bills. It is now expected to be reset for next Tuesday. This bill remains one of the clearest “market integrity” efforts on the board with clearer rules for non-traditional transactions, stronger transparency and better consumer protections. We also continued substantive policy work behind the scenes. We are actively engaging with Rep. Carver on a vacant land disclosure bill he has authored, and we appreciate that he is welcoming our input and guidance as the language is refined. Our goal is straightforward: ensure any vacant land disclosure framework is practical, reduces confusion and avoids unintentionally shifting liability or enforcement burdens onto real estate professionals. In addition, we were pleased to deepen our relationships at the Capitol this week. We had the privilege of hosting a lunch for the Governor’s Office, enjoyed meeting Governor Landry’s team, and look forward to working with them in a constructive, solutions-oriented manner as the session continues. Finally, Rep. Hebert also filed an additional measure that aligns with our legislative agenda and speaks directly to transaction risk management: HB 1027 , which would limit liability for licensed real estate appraisers in situations involving smoke and carbon monoxide detector compliance. The current law already provides that real estate agents are not liable for a seller’s failure to comply with Louisiana’s detector requirements in one- or two-family dwellings. HB 1027 would extend that same liability protection to licensed appraisers by amending R.S. 40:1581(F). This is a clean, common-sense clarification that helps prevent appraisers from being pulled into compliance disputes that properly belong with the seller’s statutory obligations. Next week, committees are scheduled to hear multiple bills relevant to real estate, including measures involving construction and roofing standards (often tied to insurance and mitigation), property rights/expropriation, and property tax and adjudicated property issues that can influence housing supply and neighborhood reinvestment. We will stay closely engaged and will flag any bills or amendments that materially affect transactions, homeownership costs or private property rights. Please view the weekly bill tracking report provided by our lobbying team over at Harris, DeVille and Associates.

Cookbook for the REALTORS® Relief Foundation!

By Louisiana REALTORS® • April 2, 2026
Louisiana REALTORS® is compiling a cookbook of Louisiana flavor with a REALTOR® heart in support of the REALTORS® Relief Foundation . And we have two ways for you to get involved:  Join us in contributing your favorite recipe using this online form. If you want to include a picture with your recipe, send to info@larealtors.org and reference recipe title in email subject. Or share your creativity by designing the cover artwork for the cookbook. A small committee will review all entries and choose one to print on the cover. Stay tuned for more details on when you can grab your own copy of the cookbook! Cover artwork and recipes are due by April 17th.
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