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Secretary of State’s fee increases and omnibus election cleanups advance from committee
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Summary
The committee cleared a package of administrative and election‑code bills: HB 908 would raise certain commercial filing fees (generally $5–$35 adjustments) to support modernization, HB 117 extends the Department of State sunset to 2032, and HB 842 (omnibus election code changes) was reported with technical and substantive cleanups and adopted amendments.
The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee on April 22 reported several Secretary of State and election‑administration bills to the Senate floor after agency witnesses explained the intent and scope.
Representative Mina presented HB 908, which adjusts a subset of self‑generated commercial filing fees to support system modernization and keep the agency’s commercial services solvent without increasing general‑fund reliance. The proposed adjustments range from roughly $5 to $35 for some filings; Nancy Landry told the committee fees have not been comprehensively adjusted since 2013 and the proposed average increase (about 20–25%) remains below the cumulative rate of inflation since 2013.
Chairman Beaulieu walked senators through HB 842, the annual omnibus election code bill, which includes technical cleanups, protections for voters with disabilities (allowing a designated signer when a voter cannot sign), clarifications on candidate qualifying after a candidate’s death, and process clarifications on how parish redistricting confirmations are submitted to the Department of State. Committee adopted amendment set 2437 to fix cross‑references and technical language.
HB 117 to extend the Department of State’s statutory existence to 2032 also was reported favorably. Committee members asked detailed technical questions about individual omnibus provisions; agency staff stood ready to provide line‑by‑line explanations.
