Latest Louisiana Headlines
All the headlines from our Louisiana Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Louisiana Lawmakers Consider Business Tax Breaks in Special Session
Jun 4 2020 // As Louisiana lawmakers on June 2 resumed work on piecing together a budget, their biggest unresolved financial question centered not on the coronavirus pandemic, but on how much they’ll want to give in tax breaks to...
Louisiana Legislature Passes Auto Accident ‘Tort Reform’ Bill
Jun 2 2020 // Wrapping up a regular session shortened by the coronavirus pandemic, Louisiana’s Legislature gave the state’s business lobby a long-desired goal and one that Republicans made their signature push for the...
Tort Reform Could Move Louisiana Closer to a Passing Grade
Jun 1 2020 // For two years in a row, Louisiana has had the ignoble distinction of finishing dead last, with a grade of “F,” in the R Street Institute’s annual report card of the insurance regulatory environment in...
Louisiana Lawmakers OK Bills to Limit Virus Lawsuits Against Businesses
Jun 1 2020 // Louisiana lawmakers want to give protections from most lawsuits for coronavirus deaths and injuries to businesses that never closed during the outbreak and those that are newly reopening. The Republican-led bills by Sen....
Louisiana Medical Marijuana Program Expansion Nears Final Passage
May 29 2020 // Louisiana lawmakers are one step from removing most restrictions on which medical conditions are eligible for medical marijuana, allowing doctors to recommend the treatment for any patient they believe it would help. The...
Unlicensed Louisiana Insurance Producer Told to ‘Cease and Desist’
May 29 2020 // A Louisiana man who insurance regulators say continued to transact insurance business after having had his state insurance licensed revoked has been issued a cease and desist order by Insurance Commissioner Jim...
Bill Would Expand Louisiana’s Medical Marijuana Program
May 22 2020 // State lawmakers are poised to greatly expand Louisiana’s medical marijuana to make more people eligible for the treatment, under a bill that continued on May 20 to speed toward final passage. The proposal from Rep....
Possible Virus Exposure Shut Louisiana OMV Office the Day it Reopened
May 21 2020 // Coronavirus fears closed a Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles location near New Orleans the same morning that it reopened after a two-month pandemic closure. The office in Harvey was notified that someone in the building...
Journalist’s Spouse Sues Aircraft Owners, Insurers Over Deadly Louisiana Crash
May 20 2020 // The husband of a broadcast journalist who was killed in a Louisiana plane crash along with four others has filed a lawsuit against the aircraft’s owners and insurers, as well as the pilot’s estate. Steven...
Louisiana Senate OKs Bill Aimed at Curbing Car Accident Lawsuits
May 19 2020 // The Louisiana Senate has agreed to change the rules for lawsuits over car wrecks, aiming to limit damage claims against insurance companies and other businesses. The Senate voted 29-8 for the bill by Republican Sen. Kirk...
Severe Weather Damages Buildings, Injures at Least 6, in Louisiana
May 19 2020 // Severe weather caused injuries and damage to homes in Louisiana, officials said. At least six people were taken to a hospital Sunday night, according to a tweet from the Acadian Ambulance Service, which said it responded...
Bluefire Insurance Announces 10% Temporary Auto Rate Drop in Louisiana
May 19 2020 // Irving, Texas-based managing general agent specializing in low cost auto insurance, Bluefire Insurance, said it will provide approximately $2.7 million dollars in rate relief to assist policyholders with financial...
Louisiana Senate Backs Bills to Shield Businesses from Virus Lawsuits
May 18 2020 // Restaurants serving takeout and delivery orders in Louisiana during the coronavirus outbreak and businesses providing protective gear should be largely shielded from lawsuits for injuries, the state Senate decided on May...
Bid to Force Interruption Insurance to Cover Virus Pulled from Louisiana Bill
May 14 2020 // Louisiana lawmakers won’t try to force business interruption insurance policies to cover the widespread closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sen. Rick Ward, a Port Allen Republican, shelved the proposal amid...
Legislation to Limit Car Accident Claims Advances in Louisiana
May 14 2020 // Louisiana’s Republican lawmakers have advanced proposals to limit damage claims against businesses in car wreck lawsuits, pushing ahead with the pre-coronavirus priority as Democrats argued the debate was...
Louisiana Opening Up with Fewer Virus-Related Restrictions
May 13 2020 // Saying Louisiana has made significant strides in combating the COVID-19 outbreak, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced that he will begin loosening restrictions on churches, restaurants, salons and gyms, moving the state away...
Study: Pandemic Leaves 1 in 4 Unemployed in New Orleans
May 12 2020 // One out of every four workers in New Orleans is without a job because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a study by the University of Louisiana Lafayette. The study found unemployment in New Orleans is the highest...
Auditor: Coronavirus, Oil Glut Could Cost Louisiana Local Governments $1B
May 11 2020 // The coronavirus battle and the world oil glut could cost cities, parishes and school boards in Louisiana anywhere from $404 million to $1.1 billion over two fiscal years, the state’s Legislative Auditor’s...
Louisiana’s Donelon Asks Commercial Auto Insurers to Offer COVID-19 Relief
May 6 2020 // Louisiana’s chief insurance regulator wants insurers to consider offering premium relief to their commercial auto insurance customers due to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon...
Louisiana Workers’ Comp Insurer, Amerisafe, Reports Profitable Quarter
May 1 2020 // DeRidder, Louisiana-based workers’ compensation insurance company, Amerisafe Inc., has reported a first quarter profit of $10.8 million. The company posted revenue of $79.2 million in the period; adjusted revenue was...
