This bill amends Louisiana's election laws by increasing the qualifying fees for certain state candidates and adjusting the requirements for nominating petitions. Specifically, the qualifying fee for candidates running for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer, commissioner of agriculture, and commissioner of insurance has been raised from $750 to $2,500. Additionally, the fee for United States senators is set at $3,500, while candidates for United States representatives will pay $1,500. Other state candidates will have varying fees, with justices of the supreme court, judges of a court of appeal, and members of the public service commission paying $450, and all other state candidates paying $600.

The bill also modifies the number of signatures required for nominating petitions. For candidates running for statewide office, the required number of signatures has been reduced from 5,000 to 2,500, with at least 250 signatures needed from each congressional district. Furthermore, the requirement for United States Representatives has been adjusted from 1,000 signatures to 750 from within the respective district. These changes aim to streamline the qualifying process for candidates and make it more accessible.

Statutes affected:
HB342 Original: 18:5(A), 18:464(B)(1), 18:465(C)(1)
HB342 Engrossed: 18:5(A), 18:464(B)(1), 18:465(C)(1)
HB342 Reengrossed: 18:5(A), 18:464(B)(1), 18:465(C)(1)
HB342 Enrolled: 18:464(B)(1), 18:465(C)(1)
HB342 Act 495: 18:464(B)(1), 18:465(C)(1)