Representative Abare introduced House Bill 90 to the Louisiana House Committee on Commerce, saying the measure would require third‑party reservation platforms to have a written agreement with restaurants before listing, selling or advertising reservations on their behalf.

"This bill will prohibit third party reservation platforms from listing, selling, or advertising reservations to Louisiana restaurants unless they have a direct written agreement with the restaurant," Representative Abare said. He described the practice as "reservation piracy," where bots and third parties grab high‑demand reservation slots and resell them for fees.

The bill would allow civil penalties of up to $1,000 administered by the Louisiana Attorney General; collected penalties would be deposited into the attorney general's consumer protection and education fund. Representative Abare and supporters said the measure is meant to protect restaurants, workers and consumers.

Stan Harris, president of the Louisiana Restaurant Association, voiced the restaurant industry's support, saying, "I don't think I could have said any better than, Representative Abare." Will Dubose, also with the Louisiana Restaurant Association, urged favorable passage.

Committee members pressed presenters on enforcement and remedies. Representative Jordan asked whether the attorney general could effectively pursue operators who use bots or route payments offshore and suggested adding authority for restitution to return money to consumers who paid third‑party fees. "I would ask that you give the attorney general the right to order restitution," Jordan said, citing an example in which a reservation reportedly resold for about $2,100 in the French Quarter during the Super Bowl.

Other members echoed enforcement concerns and urged tightened language on penalties. Representative Noel and Representative Reiser asked how restaurants would discover unauthorized resale and how the state would identify bad actors; presenters said restaurants often learn through customer complaints and that the bill would give them a formal avenue to report suspected violations to the attorney general's office.

Supporters and committee members clarified that commonly used, contracted platforms such as OpenTable, Resi and Tak (spelled variously in testimony) are not the target of the bill: those platforms have written agreements with restaurants, presenters said. The Louisiana Restaurant Association noted that the proposal is similar in aim to prior legislation addressing deceptive third‑party delivery listings.

The committee moved House Bill 90 favorably by voice; no recorded roll‑call tally was provided in committee. The bill will advance for further consideration.