HB 342: ELECTIONS/CANDIDATES: Provides relative to qualifying fees and nominating petitions for certain candidates (EN INCREASE SG RV See Note) - Louisiana

Senate Floor Bureau Note, #2983, Kleinpeter, Adopted → HB342 Act 495 · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill finalizes changes to Louisiana election laws regarding candidate qualifying fees and nominating petition signature requirements. It establishes specific dollar amounts for state candidates and adjusts the number of required signatures for statewide and congressional district offices.

Scope change

The bill applies to candidates seeking specific state and federal offices, defining the exact financial and signature thresholds needed to qualify for the ballot.

FISCAL

Set qualifying fees for state candidates at $750 for governor, $2,500 for lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer, commissioner of agriculture, and commissioner of insurance; $3,500 for U.S. Senate; $1,500 for U.S. House; and $450 for judicial and public service commission seats, with $600 for all other state candidates.

REQUIREMENT

Established the number of required signatures for nominating petitions: 5,200 statewide (with at least 500 from each congressional district) for statewide offices, and 1,750 within the specific district for U.S. Representatives.

TECHNICAL

Deleted previous Senate floor amendments that proposed deleting text regarding 'nominating petition' and 'in congress' from the bill language.

HB342 Original → Senate Floor Bureau Note, #2983, Kleinpeter, Adopted · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to remove references to nominating petitions entirely, delete the specific requirement for signatures from congressional districts, and delete the section regarding the effective date of the legislation. These changes significantly narrow the bill's scope by eliminating provisions related to petition signatures and timing, leaving only the fee adjustments intact.

Scope change

The bill's scope was reduced by removing all text related to nominating petitions, signature requirements, and the effective date provision.

REQUIREMENT

Deleted the requirement that nominating petitions must include signatures from each congressional district.

Removed the entire section defining when the bill becomes effective.

Revised the text to remove mentions of 'nominating petitions' from the bill's purpose and the statute's title.

DEFINITION

Deleted the specific language defining who can sign a nominating petition and the deadline for doing so.

HB342 Enrolled → HB342 Original · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Louisiana election laws to increase qualifying fees for several state and federal offices and clarifies who can sign nominating petitions. It raises the fee for major state offices like Governor to $5,000 and federal offices like U.S. Senator to $2,500, while adding a new section to allow individuals not affiliated with a political party to sign petitions for independent candidates.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of eligible signers for nominating petitions to include non-party-affiliated individuals and introduces a new statutory section (R.S. 18:410.5) to govern nominating petitions for independent candidates.

FISCAL

Increased the qualifying fee for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, Commissioner of Agriculture, and Commissioner of Insurance from $750 to $5,000.

Increased the qualifying fee for U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative from $1,500 to $2,500.

ELIGIBILITY

Added a new provision allowing individuals not affiliated with a political party to sign nominating petitions for candidates running as independents, provided they are qualified voters for the office.

REQUIREMENT

Established a new section (R.S. 18:410.5) defining the requirements for nominating petitions for independent candidates, including a 120-day signing deadline.

Updated the list of offices with specific qualifying fees to reflect the new higher amounts and added the new independent candidate fee structure.

HB342 Reengrossed → HB342 Enrolled · 4 edits · Jun 10, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was finalized as an enrolled version, removing the House Legislative Services digest and prefiling notice while retaining the core policy changes. The substantive law remains focused on increasing candidate qualifying fees and adjusting signature requirements for nominating petitions.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding election rules remains unchanged; the only difference is the removal of the explanatory digest and prefiling documentation found in the reengrossed version.

TECHNICAL

Removed the 'Prefiled pursuant to Article III, Section 2(A)(4)(b)(i) of the Constitution' notice and the House Legislative Services digest explaining the bill's purpose.

Deleted the section superseding previous 2024 extraordinary session legislation, as this is now the final enrolled version.

Removed the signatures of the Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, and Governor, replacing them with the standard 'APPROVED' designation for enrolled bills.

Updated the bill title line to reflect the transition from 'REENGROSSED' to 'ENROLLED' and adjusted the page count from 4 to 2 pages.

HB342 Engrossed → HB342 Reengrossed · 4 edits · Jun 8, 2025

MODERATE

This bill increases the qualifying fees for candidates running for Governor and U.S. Senate/Representative, while adding a new requirement that candidates for U.S. Senate and Representative must receive a minimum number of signatures from within their specific congressional districts. These changes aim to adjust campaign costs and ensure better geographic representation in nominating petitions for federal offices.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of signature requirements to include specific district-based thresholds for federal candidates, whereas previously only statewide totals were mandated.

FISCAL

Increased the qualifying fee for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, Commissioner of Agriculture, and Commissioner of Insurance from $750 to $5,000.

Increased the qualifying fee for U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative from $3,500 to $3,500 (note: the text shows a split where the original $3,500 for both was replaced with $3,500 for Senator and $1,750 for Representative, effectively lowering the fee for Representatives or clarifying the split; however, based on the diff showing 'three thousand five hundred dollars for United States senator; and one thousand five hundred dollars for United States representative', the fee for Representatives was reduced from the previous combined rate or adjusted to a lower specific amount).

REQUIREMENT

Added a new requirement that candidates for U.S. Senate and U.S. Representative must receive at least 1,750 signatures from within their specific congressional district, in addition to the statewide total.

Reorganized the fee structure to explicitly separate the qualifying fees for U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives, changing the previous combined listing.

ELECTIONS/CANDIDATES: Provides relative to qualifying fees and nominating petitions for certain candidates (EN INCREASE SG RV See Note)

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