The undocumented can buy auto insurance in Louisiana, but their injury claims could soon be limited
Vehicles speed down Louisiana Highway 19 in East Baton Rouge Parish where average car insurance rates are among the highest in the nation. (Photo: Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)
A proposal to prohibit auto accident victims who aren't lawful U.S. residents from recovering insurance money for injuries is nearing final passage in the Louisiana Legislature.
House Bill 436, sponsored by Rep. Gabe Firment, R-Pollock, cleared the Senate Committee on Judiciary A in a 4-3 vote along party lines Tuesday with Republicans prevailing. The measure heads to the floor for final passage.
'I can't wait to read the bad press,' committee chairman Sen. Greg Miller, R-Norco, said shortly after the committee adjourned.
Firment's bill would prohibit 'unauthorized aliens' — defined in the measure as individuals illegally in the United States under federal immigration law — from receiving insurance payouts for general damages in auto accidents. General damages include compensation for pain and suffering. The proposal would still allow recovery for 'special damages,' such as medical expenses and property damage.
Firment said the purpose of his bill is to help address the state's auto insurance crisis while discouraging undocumented immigration.
Sen. Sam Jenkins, D-Shreveport, said Firment's bill would create a 'double standard' by allowing insurance companies to profit off migrants without legal status while not facing much risk. Insurers would still be able to sell coverage to noncitizens but would not have to cover their damages in certain situations, he said.
Louisiana auto insurance proposals include limits on 'unauthorized alien' lawsuits
Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, argued that same point.
'Insurance companies do sell insurance to illegal aliens,' Luneau said. '… As long as they have a passport, they will sell them insurance, including uninsured motorist [coverage]. So under your bill, they would not be able to collect for the bodily injury portion of that claim, so they're buying an insurance policy that they can't collect on.'
Firment said his bill would not stop insurers from voluntarily paying or settling a bodily injury claim for an undocumented immigrant.
He also mentioned a commercial trucking company owner who recently laid off five drivers due to the high cost of auto insurance in Louisiana.
'If there's anything I can do to help those folks, that's what I'm here for,' Firment said.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Epoch Times
an hour ago
- Epoch Times
Speaker Johnson Downplays Musk's Influence, Suggests Republicans Will Pass Budget Bill
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on June 8 downplayed tech billionaire Elon Musk's critical comments and said that House Republicans will pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act backed by President Donald Trump. Last week, Musk and Trump got into a heated back and forth after the Tesla CEO repeatedly bashed the spending bill on social media. Trump suggested that it was because of its cuts to electric vehicle mandates, and at one point floated cutting federal money to Musk's companies. Meanwhile, Musk took credit for Trump and the GOP winning the 2024 election and threatened to decommission SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
ICE is enforcing the law. Trump is right to send National Guard to protect them.
ICE is enforcing the law. Trump is right to send National Guard to protect them. | Opinion I've watched the violence in Los Angeles this weekend, aimed at law enforcement officers who are attempting to uphold our nation's immigration laws, with growing anger. Show Caption Hide Caption Trump orders troops to LA as agents, protesters clash over immigration President Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to combat violent protesters opposed to immigration enforcement. The images of fires burning and smoking rising above the streets of Los Angeles make America's second-largest city look like a war zone. But it's not war. It's what happens when a Republican president enforces the law in a state as far left and as lost as California. President Donald Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to restore peace in Los Angeles after protesters set fires, defaced buildings, slashed vehicle tires and hurled pieces of concrete at local police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. A Department of Homeland Security news release on June 7 noted that ICE agents − and their families − have endured a surge in threats and harassment. I've watched this violence, aimed at law enforcement officers who are attempting to uphold our nation's immigration laws, with growing anger. If California is one version of America and the rest of the country is another version, I know which America I choose. It's the same one a majority of Americans also have chosen. Polls have consistently shown that voters side with Trump and other Republicans on immigration and border security, not the lawlessness and chaos that Democrats and their progressive allies promote. And to answer the question I'll inevitably get: Yes, I voted for this, and I'd vote for this again. Opinion: Guess who Americans want to run the economy? Hint: It's not Democrats. California Gov. Newsom denounces Trump's effort to restore order California Gov. Gavin Newsom denounced Trump's decision to send in the National Guard as "inflammatory." That's not a good look for a governor with national ambitions. Newsom's staff hasn't helped him either. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted on X a photo of demonstrators posing in front of a fire while one person waved a Mexican flag. Hegseth wrote: "Another 'mostly peaceful protest' brought to you by @GavinNewsom. DEPORT." Newsom's press office responded: "Are you going to send in the Marines the next time the Philadelphia Eagles win, too?" Comparing violent protests against federal officers enforcing the law to a Super Bowl celebration that went too far is tone death, even for the governor of California. Opinion: Texas woman's death would have been prevented if Biden had secured the border It's important to note that ICE agents aren't arresting just anyone. The Department of Homeland Security reported that the arrests in Los Angeles included people accused of drug trafficking, assault, cruelty to children, domestic violence, robbery and the smuggling of illegal immigrants. Our nation's immigration laws must be enforced The fact that the protests broke out because the demonstrators didn't want illegal immigrants with criminal records to be arrested or deported is sad and pathetic. America is a melting pot, and our arms should be open to people who want to come to this land to live a better life. But we must follow a legal process for immigrants to enter and stay in the United States. But progressive states like California and Democratic leaders like Newsom and former President Joe Biden have ignored our immigration laws. They sent a clear message to people all over the world that the border was open, and millions took advantage of that fact to enter our country illegally. Now, it is Trump who must enforce the law and restore order, whether Gavin Newsom and the violent protesters in the streets of Los Angeles like it or not. Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
This Week in Louisiana Poltics: Approaching the end of the legislative session
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — We're approaching the end of the regular legislative session this week. We've seen many bills debated in the legislature. So far, Governor Jeff Landry has signed into law six bills from his tort and insurance reform effort, which he says will lower insurance rates. We've seen election security bills make it out of committee—they are headed to the House for final passage. And then there's the state's budget, which is House Bill 1 by Representative Jack McFarland. That bill easily passed out of the Committee on Appropriations and then sailed through the full House with bipartisan support. Louisiana House committee rejects bill on homeless camps It's awaiting final passage in the Senate, then will head back to the House, where it'll likely reflect priorities from both the legislature and the governor, including education, fully funding services, and teacher pay raises. This and more on Your Local Election Headquarters. Several injured after Tennessee plane crash Southern University Law Center offering help to clear criminal records with event in Gonzales The best midsize SUVs for 2025 Invasive tick that can be deadly for cattle causing concerns among researchers Tropical Storm Barbara strengthens off Mexico, expected to become hurricane Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
