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Committee advances tax credit to encourage fortified roofs, adds electronic application rules
Summary
Senate Bill 28 would establish a state income tax credit — capped on the Senate side — to encourage homeowners to install fortified roofs; the bill passed the committee with amendments that add an electronic application requirement and align program rules with Louisiana's existing Fortified Homes program.
The House Committee on Ways and Means on Monday reported Senate Bill 28 with amendments. The bill would create a state income tax credit for taxpayers who pay to install a fortified roof on their property, and the committee adopted technical and administrative changes offered by state agencies.
Sponsor Senator Talbot framed the measure as a complement to the Department of Insurance's existing Fortified Roof grant program: "We allocate in the legislature money every year. You can get a $10,000 grant to retrofit your roof for a fortified roof," he said. Talbot described fortified roofs as construction techniques that increase wind resistance — including use of ring‑shank nails and additional strapping — and said Fortified roofs reduce insurance premiums for homeowners who obtain them.
The Senate-passed version carries a $10,000,000 program cap. Talbot and business witnesses said the credit is nonrefundable, may be carried forward and was designed to target owners who can front retrofit costs and be reimbursed via a tax benefit; a Senate amendment trimmed the refund carryover to three years. Talbot said the bill mirrors successful programs in Alabama counties and noted a state auditor review showing insured homeowners with fortified roofs saved an average of 22% on premiums.
The committee adopted a set of amendments (set number 3806) that, among other changes, require electronic submission of tax credit applications, add a defined application period, require that certification from the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety include qualified expense amounts, and make promulgation of certain rules permissive rather than mandatory. "We're basically rewriting subsection d," a committee staff member said while explaining the amendment language to members. Talbot said he trusted the Department of Revenue's technical changes: "I'm just trusting LDR told me they need to do these amendments so they can make it work on their end."
Representatives questioned how this tax credit would interact with existing grant programs and whether the credit would double-dip with LDI grant funds. Talbot and witnesses said the credit is not available to homeowners who also receive a Fortified Roof grant; the grant program and the proposed tax credit are alternatives, not additive. Andronika Morris, president of the Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance, testified in favor and urged additional options for homeowners who cannot access the Fortified Roof retrofit program, pointing to the wind‑mitigation credit and other incentives as complementary tools.
Representative Willard moved that the committee report SB 28 with amendments. With no objections, Chair Emerson announced the bill would be reported with the committee's recommendation.
The bill now proceeds to the next stage of the legislative process.
