[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6232111,"mediaKeyId","3426684-49919d13084a6b47b49f0eed49f1bb82","parentId",3426684,"title","Committee approves annual CPI tie for dealer document fee; legislative auditor to compute adjustments","audioSeconds",315,"startMs",4681000,"endMs",4996000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3426684-49919d13084a6b47b49f0eed49f1bb82&start=4681&end=4996","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3426684-49919d13084a6b47b49f0eed49f1bb82/thumbnail_4681000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6232111/Louisiana/Committee-approves-annual-CPI-tie-for-dealer-document-fee-legislative-auditor-to-compute-adjustments","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6232111-02ae62825ae1460474518c5622735c69/orig.mp4?Expires=1770914305&Signature=IBSCF7~0kVK7xFE-lbWVDtquezo-3pCmPc~TlW6s7iGGJ05c7MGj1hqYEa9NqGm3hCISVdTU9xtM0E0qiuh1TKWARtfsXgWD2dg7LH0~ZQNnuOmuc-WITxz2Rl7SlE1fNLOn4alVOkGeZJNU4gPKi53t0wuMXcPRxlPq1I48SNc5QgA1qggybMjLVR71oGpAJtuJz01i8RQAeI89RIPwn5RJtiS-r-sUtBOMrSCOULDF3LV8x4ed2V3pwlOc2e7SKHqKZ093wT9hZgmN1zhcC6xn5HoLZdVZlaR9aZVetzcIMBNynSro6QfIDPS8Xp6moLmudxZbbePiExAQRGeNSQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Louisiana Legislature","date","2025-05-21T00:00:00Z","article","The Senate Committee on Commerce voted to report House Bill 476 favorably after adopting amendments that tie a motor-vehicle document-processing fee to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), with a maximum annual adjustment of 3 percent.

Senator Abraham explained the amendment, which assigns the Legislative Auditor to calculate the annual increase and requires the Motor Vehicle Commission to publish the updated fee on its website. The fee covers dealer costs such as credit investigations, titling work and other retail-sale processing functions.

Colter McMahon, representing the Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association, told the committee the change is a reasonable mechanism to allow the fee to track inflation and asked for favorable passage. No objections were recorded and the committee moved the bill favorably.

Under the amendment, the fee remains subject to the 3 percent cap in any year and dealers are not required to charge the maximum; the provision is intended to reduce rushed one-off legislative fee fixes and give dealers a predictable, transparent method for adjustments.

The bill will proceed to the Senate floor for consideration.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Commerce, Consumer Protection and International Affairs May 21, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","House Bill 476, which ties an existing motor-vehicle dealer document/processing fee to the Consumer Price Index with a 3% annual cap and assigns the legislative auditor to calculate the adjustment, was reported favorably as amended.","taxTitle","Commerce, Consumer Protection and International Affairs, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Louisiana","taxId",24286,"location","Louisiana","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6232115,"Senate committee advances bill to define revenue-based financing, senators ask for consumer guardrails",885,3481000,4366000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3426684-49919d13084a6b47b49f0eed49f1bb82&start=3481&end=4366","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3426684-49919d13084a6b47b49f0eed49f1bb82/thumbnail_3481000.jpg","/articles/6232115/Louisiana/Senate-committee-advances-bill-to-define-revenue-based-financing-senators-ask-for-consumer-guardrails","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6232115-39a73e9ad1d7837bedfb2790c8e627f7/orig.mp4?Expires=1770914305&Signature=cYOrOJFJX~qGISfEgvRoyXKhurEvAp55Agij0KjUERIJZARAB3c-aL5x1OrfkxfPXypHP~rreYTPzm1XqCdkmnh~K4fNml5H9uU2Lo24cu7c730i6XnFaZoUMLOnc8iipvAi6zxcashBUcCnmbmuq4nMtvqiTrEOm~4FmD6n7KrLgAui5t021AuCjY8c8WGFXY2xM0FkjScdJogRooGUkKTBVNl5M3UEVKbgifpHoV7RO3t7UKceBg1BDmIRLtHGsYp0v8Yj~daGkz~mVF4spV9mnFDvSB4ZlRoKk3PBKJ356O3qUaUzWyl6RpcKKJXFf2KR0lK4r~Al3wccLlNitw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Committee on Commerce reported House Bill 470 favorably Wednesday after extended questioning about consumer protections and regulatory guardrails.

Representative McFarland told senators the bill defines \"revenue-based financing,\" a product in which a provider supplies working capital in exchange for a contractual share of a business’s revenue rather than a fixed loan repayment. Katherine Fisher, an attorney representing the Revenue Based Finance Coalition, said providers deploy roughly $23 million a year to Louisiana small and mid-sized businesses and that the product is used to smooth working capital needs without personal guarantees.

Senators raised concerns about potential gaps in consumer protections and how a revenue-based arrangement could be structured to resemble a loan while avoiding interest-rate limits and disclosure regimes. Senator Barriss asked whether the product avoids personal guarantees; Fisher said personal guarantees generally are not part of revenue-based financing, noting the transaction is nonrecourse and tied to revenue performance.

Senator Morris and others pressed the sponsor to consider amendments that would add explicit guardrails — for example, disclosure requirements, registration, or limits to prevent the product from being transformed into a high-cost loan in form. Representative McFarland said he would work with senators and review similar statutes in other states.

Witnesses noted nine states have statutes or regulatory frameworks addressing sales- or revenue-based financing with various approaches, including disclosures and registration. The committee moved the bill favorably but several senators signaled they will seek amendments on the floor to add transparency and anti-evasion protections.

Sponsors said the goal is to increase financing options for small businesses while guarding against abusive structures and opaque pricing. The bill advances to the Senate floor with a request to the sponsor to confer with committee members on potential guardrails.","House Bill 470, which defines and authorizes revenue-based financing for small and medium-sized businesses, was reported favorably after lawmakers pushed the sponsor to consider amendments adding consumer safeguards and disclosure requirements.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6232119,"Committee backs bill requiring reservation platforms to have written agreements with restaurants",500,2665000,3165000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3426684-49919d13084a6b47b49f0eed49f1bb82&start=2665&end=3165","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3426684-49919d13084a6b47b49f0eed49f1bb82/thumbnail_2665000.jpg","/articles/6232119/Louisiana/Committee-backs-bill-requiring-reservation-platforms-to-have-written-agreements-with-restaurants","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6232119-0eff8b345678741756639846aa0f5c49/orig.mp4?Expires=1770914305&Signature=M4QRMBoJs9rFI85-MnlNDKNthuURWOguVi0BJ7S6K5JJVeUy-7kFfHclZhcQvY1N6tQjmLpPFLg15nqOj936wib~cGd2ToqlRitosDSnhYOQpSR86DdplPq7242MpapoZfGrl0mm1LzJCdMB5zalBo9-PcJDUjgcIxItyf8HXKllKCGDYVENMKjmHdnYwKTUIPssYbO7TarMP1R8ipacrEpJBa2UqUlylauLjwvXunVV3zMf4CcU1ht1MIfKSDS8yxBT6FZlNeCQeDNz6yVf1jcwjzHk1GpDHsQ77YEmPgDrOHvYXe6J1TEau4Ekn3U6T9SQlzFEdzP7f5ctyU5SqA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Committee on Commerce reported House Bill 90 favorably Wednesday, approving a measure that would prohibit third-party reservation platforms from listing, selling or advertising reservations for Louisiana restaurants unless they have a direct written agreement with the restaurant.

Representative Hebert, who presented the bill, said platforms using AI-driven bots can \"grab reservations\" and then resell them to customers at marked-up prices without the restaurant’s knowledge or compensation. \"A business owner should have the right to determine whether you can represent their brand or not,\" Hebert said.

Stan Harris of the Louisiana Restaurant Association described the effect on high-demand restaurants: bots create many mobile confirmations, then transfer the bookings and resell seats for fees. The bill creates a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per day enforceable through the attorney general’s office and allows the attorney general to seek reimbursement of the reservation fee for consumers, the sponsor said.

Committee members asked about enforceability against foreign-based operators; Harris said platforms operating from outside U.S. jurisdiction present enforcement challenges but noted two states — New York and Illinois — have enacted similar measures. He also said some third-party firms had already begun seeking written agreements with restaurants after the bill’s publication.

Several senators expressed support. With no amendments filed and no recorded objections, the committee moved the bill favorably to the Senate floor.

If enacted, the law would allow restaurants to block third-party resellers that market reservations without authorization and provide a remedy through state enforcement channels.","House Bill 90, aimed at stopping third-party services that harvest and resell restaurant reservations without the owner’s consent, was reported favorably after testimony from restaurant groups and industry representatives.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6232124,"Senate Commerce advances two bills to tighten private security examiner rules, restructure fines and fees",2032,3267000,5299000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3426684-49919d13084a6b47b49f0eed49f1bb82&start=3267&end=5299","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3426684-49919d13084a6b47b49f0eed49f1bb82/thumbnail_3267000.jpg","/articles/6232124/Louisiana/Senate-Commerce-advances-two-bills-to-tighten-private-security-examiner-rules-restructure-fines-and-fees","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6232124-83a58f4fb3f230f71c8d6faeaea68c58/orig.mp4?Expires=1770914305&Signature=LlmVJGMLQ3ujxokU0s2k6rA1FRE6cjYiekxaJJFM-QaqYhiNrDpD~PEx1TOoI4ZX0zCzk76y0YPhjj88kuOpcKOT514Ngfx2TpcDoFVgdcVubeH~9YirrgmFwUTbsZzziC9OLdksn-FrqqDvlU3nUAN9OyacRzTYWNx~JONMgcYqCTsAUa6ol22LRgKzAbuU20z7Ln3Xg6q~7yCYwRX95pnzL57cr4lCZ6Qn9kHpjc2q8935Y4mJFLE-YoyTKUA~lBm3sSnHtgaGUXw4X3CQDGS~SeVaLPYDFm8qZk7bdPfIWtAGqrNTe-FQhZP0TnyhPu5x3FiQ-KJJS2gpGHcLHw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Committee on Commerce reported two bills related to the Louisiana State Board of Private Security Examiners favorably Wednesday, approving a technical statutory update and a separate measure to change how the board funds compliance work.

House Bill 152, described by witnesses as a federal-compliance technical fix, clarifies definitions for applicants, registrants and qualifying agents so the state can receive criminal background checks and other data under FBI CJIS rules. Carl Cezanne, executive director of the board, testified that the change responds to a federal audit and is intended to keep the board in compliance with background-check protocols. Senator Bowie moved the bill favorably as amended.

In a related matter, House Bill 157 would remove fines from the agency’s budget model and make up the difference through adjusted fees. Cezanne said the board commissioned a fee study and created a compliance unit to reduce the board’s reliance on fines. \"It was my goal to get down to 0 fines,\" he said, describing new audit and compliance work and upgrades to the board’s licensing management system.

Witnesses told senators the board had not been audited comprehensively in decades and that prior operations lacked systematic compliance. The board’s director said reforms cut background-clearance times from several weeks to one to two days and that the board had audited every licensed company for the first time in 2023–24.

Senators asked how the board would enforce compliance without fines; Cezanne described a compliance unit, audits, and the rollout of a license-management system that will send advance notices of expiring documentation to reduce violations. The board also removed or reduced some one-time IT costs during negotiations, Cezanne said, to make the program more affordable.

Committee members moved both bills forward without recorded opposition after informational witnesses from the board and the Louisiana State Police described the technical needs and the planned compliance approach. The measures now advance to the Senate floor.","The committee moved two measures related to private security examiners: a technical statutory update to meet federal background-check requirements and legislation restructuring the board's revenue model to replace fines with fees, accompanied by promises of stronger compliance work.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6232129,"Senate Commerce Committee backs smaller cosmetology fee increase after heated debate over board finances",2090,553000,2643000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3426684-49919d13084a6b47b49f0eed49f1bb82&start=553&end=2643","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3426684-49919d13084a6b47b49f0eed49f1bb82/thumbnail_553000.jpg","/articles/6232129/Louisiana/Senate-Commerce-Committee-backs-smaller-cosmetology-fee-increase-after-heated-debate-over-board-finances","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6232129-97c03b9ba90ce203f3881592386bab60/orig.mp4?Expires=1770914305&Signature=LV3jPmjOLg8cORFo6EoEkiHQYmHskPC3LDy-jDZ1q7WlRusiQp8njEmo0O4qjWneejdjTzw7weLn4U-G7jLmCXK2tGZbk-rqWRzZ2p7IN~ZJBwEqXq1gFFUi845Qzh~yoJTJFvQ3fp9gO830aHO-ow3DKWGvSuiSmrdWJE7pQxe79RHgENFilSEFeUNiUkyfDY3ek-DOQgqksMdPKjjyOsLIUbLVrubnDQ6y-vReC5aeVHm9HhQ43JVzQ6oFxJlv0Pvh9E4xd5rIjvXZcm9wqSzL4sj7BOKl2knp1RB8aaMKKSSclfsiK85oJvoSMoTcdXw5JPN0UH3i6O~IxN2f~A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Committee on Commerce moved House Bill 326 favorably as amended on a voice vote Wednesday, approving an amendment that raised certain cosmetology licensing fees from $25 to $35.

The change, offered as an amendment and adopted without recorded opposition, reduces an earlier proposal that would have doubled some fees. The committee then moved the bill as amended.

The measure’s sponsors and supporters said the modest fee increase is meant to stop an ongoing operating deficit at the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology and fund basic maintenance, licensing systems and inspections. \"With the amendment, sir, we would be able to operate for several years,\" said Steve Young, who testified for the board.

Board staff and supporters told the committee the board faces a recurring annual shortfall and aging infrastructure. Kiwan Wade, described in testimony as the board’s compliance investigator, told senators, \"our operating expenses exceed our revenue,\" and said the board’s current computer system is decades old and needs replacement.

Opponents and outside critics pressed for greater transparency and questioned the board’s prior legal and policy choices. Reverend Freddie Phillips said the committee was being asked to approve a fee increase without enough detail on how additional revenue would be spent, calling the process akin to \"writing a blind check.\" Robert Burns, a CPA who testified in opposition, said audited financial statements showed a fund balance of about $1.5 million as of June 30, 2024 and argued that litigation costs had distorted prior-year operating results.

Committee members pressed both sides for clarity. Senator Abraham asked whether the board’s apparent year-end fund balance meant the agency had a large unrestricted reserve; board representatives replied that cash balances fluctuate daily and that the figure on an audit report reflected a point-in-time balance. Committee members also urged the board to seek a performance audit to clarify long-term needs and ensure the requested funds would address core problems rather than one-time items.

Representative Butler, the bill’s author, corrected an earlier misstatement about typical tuition costs for cosmetology schools and said the fee change is intended to sustain operations and avoid staff layoffs. Committee members noted staff estimates that the board runs about a $150,000 annual deficit and that capital repairs to the board’s facilities and systems have been estimated at figures ranging from several hundred thousand dollars to over $1 million; the board said the $35 fee would not cover all capital needs but would help operations.

After extended public comment and questions, Senator Koenig moved the bill favorable as amended; with no objection, the committee approved the measure for the floor.

The bill now heads to the full Senate for further consideration. Committee members requested additional financial detail and suggested a legislative performance audit to establish a longer-term plan for the board’s finances and services.","The Senate Commerce Committee moved House Bill 326 favorably as amended to raise cosmetology license fees from $25 to $35, after testimony about the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology’s finances and objections from industry critics and public advocates.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee approves annual CPI tie for dealer document fee; legislative auditor to compute adjustments

Senate committee advances bill to define revenue-based financing, senators ask for consumer guardrails

Committee backs bill requiring reservation platforms to have written agreements with restaurants

Senate Commerce advances two bills to tighten private security examiner rules, restructure fines and fees

Senate Commerce Committee backs smaller cosmetology fee increase after heated debate over board finances