House and Governmental Affairs Chair Beau Beaullieu says his first election to the lower chamber cost his campaign $300,000. But that was five years ago. Since then, the cost of everything post-pandemic and political, from yard signs and canvassing to media buys and buttons, has gone up.
“It’s more costly to run campaigns than it was before,” he says.
As such, many lawmakers are wondering whether the state’s current campaign finance laws are keeping pace with the high cost of politics.
Rep. Steven Jackson has filed HCSR1 to allow the governmental affairs committee to study and make recommendations regarding ethics and campaign finance disclosure laws. The findings are due to the Legislature no later than March 31, 2025.
Jackson, serving in his first term, has carved out an early policy niche at the intersection of money and politics.
He’s pushing HB106 to reduce the maximum amount of late fees (from $1,500 to $500) and civil penalties (from $10,000 to $1,000) imposed on lobbyists for failure to timely file required reports. The proposal has already cleared the House and is pending action on the Senate side.
Jackson’s HB72, which addresses filing duplicative financial disclosure statements after qualifying for office, is on the Senate side as well.
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter, or Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
