HB 561 Louisiana House · 2025 Regular Session

INSURANCE/SURPLUS LINE: Provides policy provisions and exceptions relative to surplus lines insurance

HB 561 amends a provision in surplus lines insurance law to explicitly state that certain policy requirements apply "to a commercial insured." This change directly affects insurance companies writing surplus lines policies and commercial businesses purchasing them, clarifying that specific rules (like disclosures or coverage terms) now apply to commercial clients. The bill modifies the existing legal text by inserting "to a commercial insured" after "insurer" in the relevant section, ensuring these requirements are unambiguously directed at commercial policyholders. It does not create new rules but refines how existing provisions apply to a key category of insureds.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Apr 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Apr 4, 2025 Last action Jun 2, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB561 Reengrossed HB561 Engrossed · 3 edits · May 28, 2025
MINOR
The bill was renumbered from 'Reengrossed' to 'Engrossed' and updated its explanatory text to clarify that surplus lines insurers are explicitly allowed to include arbitration clauses in their policies, unless prohibited by specific public contract laws. This change removes a confusing exception in the original text and replaces it with a clearer statement affirming the legislature's intent to permit these clauses while maintaining existing restrictions on public contracts.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains focused on surplus lines insurers, but the language now more clearly defines their authority to use arbitration clauses without needing form approval, except where public contract laws apply.
REQUIREMENT

Replaced a confusing exception clause with a clear statement that surplus lines insurers can include arbitration clauses in their policies, subject only to existing public contract restrictions.

TECHNICAL

Updated the document title from 'REENGROSSED' to 'ENGROSSED' and adjusted the coding instructions to reflect the final version of the bill.

DEFINITION

Clarified the legislative intent to reaffirm that no existing laws limit surplus lines insurers from including arbitration clauses, except for specific prohibitions on public contracts.

Floor votes · House May 7, 2025

How they voted

7226
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 101
May 7, 2025
D Democratic30
3 Yea 25 Nay 2
83% Nay
R Republican71
69 Yea 1 Nay 1
97% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
13
Key actions
3
Committee
5
May 27, 2025
Committee
Committee amendments read and adopted. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
upper
May 21, 2025
Upper · Passed
Rules suspended. Reported with amendments.
upper
May 7, 2025
Lower · Passed
Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 75, nays 26. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
lower
Apr 29, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported with amendments (16-0).
lower
Apr 14, 2025
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Insurance.
lower
Apr 4, 2025
Committee
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Insurance.
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Gabe Firment
Gabe Firment
RRepublican
LA
22