House Ways and Means panel approves convenience fee for Louisiana Board of Veterinary Medicine online licensing

The House Committee on Ways and Means approved a convenience fee for online licensing transactions processed for the Louisiana Board of Veterinary Medicine on Wednesday, Oct. 29.

Director Gragnier, executive director of the Louisiana Board of Veterinary Medicine, told the committee the board seeks committee approval to charge a convenience or processing fee for its online licensing and admissions portal and to move its payment gateway to Elavon so the system can accept ACH payments.

Gragnier said the board currently passes card-processing costs to applicants at 2.8% plus $0.25 per transaction. Moving to Elavon, the board said, will yield a flat 2.5% fee that will be paid through Elavon rather than through the board’s existing gateway. Gragnier said the Senate committee had already approved the request earlier in June.

Representative Billings asked how the percentage translates into dollars. Gragnier provided examples and corrected an earlier misstatement: the board expects an application transaction to carry an approximate $14 convenience charge and a $250 annual renewal transaction to carry roughly a $7 convenience charge. Gragnier also said veterinary applicants who have exam scores transferred may see charges of roughly $5.50–$5.60 depending on transfer method, and that the figures depend on each transaction’s amount.

Gragnier told the committee the board paid about $19,000 in bank and processing fees last year and recouped roughly $15,700, leaving the board covering about 20% of processing costs.

Committee members confirmed applicants will retain the option to mail in checks; Elavon will add ACH as an additional payment method, the board said.

Representative Chance Henry moved to approve the convenience fee. There was no objection; the committee approved the request by voice vote.

The committee adjourned following the vote.