The head of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry Stephen Waguespack spoke with Brian about the legislative session.
Why are auto insurance rates so high in Louisiana?
Stephen talks about what he considered to be the most important bill in the session which was house bill 372. This bill dealt with tort reform in regards to Louisiana’s auto insurance rates. He explained that the reason our rates are so high is because we have too many trial lawyers and taxpayers have to pay the bill. It would require the insurance commissioner to do an analysis and reduce rates depending on how much money we save. This bill did not pass and Waguespack talks about why.
Can state taxes be unconstitutional?
Waguespack talks about a bill that stated that if the state issued a tax and the court ruled it unconstitutional, then the state would have to pay it back. This bill has made it through and is currently sitting on the governors desk waiting to be signed. Stephen gives examples of what an unconstitutional state tax would be and what makes it unconstitutional.
What are the regulations on Uber and Lyft?
A new law was passed that creates a state wide framework for ride sharing services. Waguespack explains that if you live in a certain parish and you’re trying to go to a neighboring parish you could get Uber to bring you there but they can’t bring you home because of a reciprocal agreement. Now, because of the state wide framework, if you drive for Uber or Lyft you can pick up and drop of in any parish.