Auto insurance in Louisiana is outrageous.
We’ve been called the most expensive state in America—paying nearly 49% more than the national average.
And year after year, state legislators and insurance commissioners have done little to bring the rates down.
One Senator Wants to Change That
Enter State Senator Royce Duplessis, who introduced SB214 this session. His bill would fundamentally change how Louisiana selects its insurance commissioner.
Right now, the position is elected. Duplessis wants it appointed—starting in 2028.
Why?
“Consumer advocacy groups just don’t have the resources to compete with insurance companies in elections,” Duplessis says.
And the numbers back him up.
Current Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple ran unopposed. Nearly 70% of his campaign money came from the very industry he’s supposed to regulate.
That doesn’t sit right with Duplessis.
“I’m all for elections,” he says, “but this is not a fair fight.”
A Push to Remove Politics From the Process
Under SB214, the governor would appoint the insurance commissioner from a list submitted by business and civic leaders.
Duplessis says 39 other states already do it this way—and many of them have lower rates as a result.
His goal is simple:
“I want to take the politics out of the position, so that we have an insurance commissioner who serves the people—not the industry.”
The Fight Over Tort Reform
Not everyone agrees.
Commissioner Temple blames high rates on frivolous personal injury lawsuits, not campaign contributions. His answer? Tort reform.
The theory is that if the state limits lawsuits, insurance companies will lower rates.
Senator Duplessis isn’t buying it.
If his bill passes, the governor would appoint the commissioner from a list of candidates chosen by various state leaders and members of the business community. 39 other states choose their insurance commissioner this way, according to Sen. Duplessis. And this partly results in lower insurance rates.
Some critics disagree. Tim Temple, the present commissioner, is the most prominent of them. According to Temple, the real problem is inflated lawsuits brought upon by personal injury lawyers. His solution is Tort reform. His thinking is that if the state limits the amount of inflated lawsuits insurance companies must deal with, then lower rates will follow. In a perfect world, if we would all just stop unnecessarily throwing our 4s up, the industry would treat us fairly. Sen. Duplessis disagrees.
“Tort reform is a lie. It’s a hustle. Every time we’ve had Tort, they promised the rates would go down, but in actuality that’s not what happens.”
Instead of savings, Louisianans keep paying more.
Temple argues the reason rates didn’t fall is because Tort reform was watered down. Duplessis says that’s false.
“They got most of the bills they wanted passed. But they want to blame the rates on the one bill the governor vetoed.”
A Second Bill With Real Teeth
Duplessis is also supporting HB148, authored by Rep. Jeff Wiley. This bill would give the insurance commissioner the authority to label certain rates as excessive—and reject them.
Temple opposes this bill too.
“He doesn’t want to take responsibility for the rates people have to pay,” says Duplessis.
“But what’s the point of having a commissioner if he won’t do the job?”
Related: Inside Tim Temple’s Plan to Reform Insurance in Louisiana
Time for Accountability
Both HB148 and SB214 are moving through the Legislature.
- HB148 is up for final passage in the Senate.
- SB214 has a Senate hearing scheduled today.
These aren’t just technical bills.
They’re the beginning of a long-overdue fight for fairness in a state where insurance companies have held all the cards for too long.
If Louisiana is ever going to have affordable insurance, it will take bold reforms—and even bolder leadership.