Shreveport council unanimously backs state bill aimed at apartment-owner misappropriation

The Shreveport City Council on Feb. 11 voted 7-0 to adopt a resolution supporting House Bill 6, a measure filed in the 2025 Louisiana regular session that Representative Steven Jackson said would create criminal penalties and civil tools to address apartment owners who take tenant funds and fail to pay bills or maintain properties.

Representative Steven Jackson, the bill's sponsor, told the council the measure has been prefiled and "this particular piece of legislation will take more of a criminal route than a civil route," and that it aims to "pierce the corporate veil" so prosecutors can reach individuals behind shell companies and LLCs.

Jackson said the bill could include asset-forfeiture provisions and racketeering-style tools to allow seizure of property tied to a criminal enterprise. He said he planned to set up a call with the District Attorneys Association to gather feedback and that enforcement ultimately would rest with district attorneys and judges. "It'll be up to the district attorneys and the judges to prosecute and carry out the administration of law," Jackson said.

Council members who spoke at the meeting emphasized the local impacts they said the bill targets. Councilman Butcher said apartment-owner misconduct has imposed harm on tenants and the city's services and called the activity "a criminal enterprise" in many cases. Council members also described instances in which landlords failed to pay utility bills after collecting rent; one council member said a single company owed the water department "well over $20,000" for emergency repairs done by the city.

Jackson said the sheriff's office's white-collar crime unit has been canvassing and collecting complaints and urged residents affected by alleged landlord misconduct to register as victims so prosecutors can treat each complaint as a separate count. "I'm encouraging residents: if you wanna sign up as a victim, you need to sign up as a victim, because each complaint is a count," he said.

The council's resolution (Resolution 31) expresses local support for the state bill; the motion was moved by Councilman Green, seconded by Councilman Butcher, and passed unanimously with all seven members present voting yes. Representative Jackson told the council he would notify members when the bill receives a hearing in Baton Rouge.

The resolution does not itself change local law or create new municipal enforcement authority. Multiple speakers noted that prosecution and property forfeiture would require action by prosecutors and the courts, and that the city's role would be limited to supporting the bill and helping coordinate information from residents to law enforcement.

What happens next: House Bill 6 remains a piece of state legislation; the council's resolution registers Shreveport's support and signals local priorities to state lawmakers. Jackson said he would keep council members informed about hearings and further steps toward prosecutorial implementation.