House Bill No. by Representative Ventrella aims to amend and reenact certain provisions related to public adjusters in Louisiana. The bill revises the definition of "public adjusting" to clarify the activities that fall under this term, specifically including the investigation, appraisal, and negotiation of first-party claims related to insurance contracts for real or personal property. It also explicitly states that public adjusting does not encompass claims related to motor vehicle operations or activities that may be considered unauthorized practice of law. A new subsection (c) is added to further define public adjusting activities.

Additionally, the bill imposes restrictions on the fees that public adjusters can charge. It prohibits public adjusters from entering into contracts that provide for fees contingent upon the amount of claims paid, specifically capping fees at ten percent for catastrophic insurance claim settlements and fifteen percent for other insurance claim settlements. This change aims to protect consumers from potentially excessive fees while ensuring that public adjusters can still operate within reasonable financial parameters.

Statutes affected:
HB600 Original: 22:1692, 22:1703(A)