LaPolitics: Your organization has called for streamlining alcohol permitting. Where does that issue stand?
Stan Harris: Several municipalities and parishes have their own alcoholic beverage permit in addition to the state permit. We had hoped to create a streamlined process where those locals would rely on the state to do the background check, to do the criminal records check, and they would get from the applicant a very simple application that would be focused on making sure all of the address and identification information was good, and addressing the appropriate local zoning. Florida gets this process done in three days. We were able to get a study resolution passed last year … so I’m hopeful that between there and the start of the session, at the very least, we can put a report together that addresses some of these issues. And I think from the legislators that we’ve spoken to, they’ve been very receptive to it.
What other issues are you focused on for this year’s regular session?
We have been working closely with several members of the Legislature for the last few years on trying to come up with an updated workers’ compensation medical fee schedule, which has not been updated since 1996. And we feel like we may have somewhat of a solution to be able to work on some of the big picture things this session. During the second term of the [John Bel] Edwards administration, we got very, very close, and there were some voices in the industry that kept that from moving forward.
There has been a lot of focus at the Legislature on imported seafood. How is that working out for restaurateurs?
We worked with Sen. Pat Connick on a bill in the 2024 session that really took away some of the confusion. Country of origin is not required, we just have to let the consumer know if it’s imported or not. You’re seeing more and more compliance because that’s what we want. That’s always a hot button because we look at this from the standpoint of the shrimper, but at the same time, I’m looking at it from the standpoint of the restaurateur. We always express a preference for locally harvested products. But you don’t want to clutter the menu with disclaimers. Sen. Connick was very helpful in helping to come up with a disclaimer that’s very simple. It can just say: Some items served in this establishment may contain imported crawfish or shrimp; ask for more information.
How are tariffs affecting your members?
It’s not as terrible on all items as we thought it would be initially. And some tariffs have been rolled back. But also under the U.S.-Mexican-Canada agreement, things that we use that come from Mexico and from Canada have most-favored nations clauses. They’re coming up for a two-year review of USMCA this summer, and we’re very hopeful that they leave the status quo as it is. [As for inflation], if you look at where we were coming out of COVID, we have seen the cost of goods and many commodities go up 20% to 30%. So the cost of doing business is higher.
—They said it: “Jeff Landry has been working on this endorsement over a year.” –Treasurer John Fleming on Gov. Landry’s “scheme” to get President Donald Trump to endorse U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Bill Cassidy, as reported by Louisiana Illuminator
