HB 712: MTR VEHICLE/OFFICE: Provides relative to fee waivers by the office of motor vehicles for driver's licenses and state identification cards (RE1 DECREASE SG RV See Note) - Louisiana

HB712 Reengrossed → HB712 Engrossed · 4 edits · Mar 26, 2026

MODERATE

The Engrossed version removes the Louisiana residency requirement that had been added by House floor amendments in the Reengrossed version, meaning the fee waiver for homeless persons now applies regardless of state residency. All co-sponsors were also dropped, leaving only Representative Boyd as the sole sponsor. The bill title and digest were updated to reflect the removal of the residency limitation.

ELIGIBILITY

The requirement that the fee waiver apply only to residents of Louisiana was removed from both R.S. 32:412.4 (driver's licenses) and R.S. 40:1321.3 (state identification cards). Homeless persons who are not Louisiana residents can now also receive the fee waiver.

SCOPE

The bill title was changed from 'to limit the fee waiver for certain credentials to residents of Louisiana' to 'to provide for definitions; and to provide for related matters,' removing the reference to a residency limitation.

All co-sponsors (24 representatives) were removed, leaving only Representative Boyd as the sole sponsor of the bill.

TECHNICAL

The word 'or' was changed to 'and' in several places where it listed actions (issuing, renewing, and providing a duplicate), which is a minor grammatical clarification.

HB712 Original → HB712 Reengrossed · 4 edits · Mar 26, 2026

MODERATE

The reengrossed version of HB 712 makes two substantive policy changes: it converts the fee waiver from permissive ('may not charge') to mandatory ('shall not charge'), removing any discretion by the Department, and it adds a Louisiana residency requirement limiting the fee waiver to state residents only. The bill also gained numerous additional co-sponsors, reflecting broader legislative support.

Scope change

The fee waiver is now explicitly limited to Louisiana residents only. Previously the bill did not specify a residency requirement, which could have been interpreted as applying to any homeless person regardless of state of residence.

REQUIREMENT

Changed 'may not charge' to 'shall not charge' in both the driver's license and state ID sections, making the fee waiver mandatory rather than discretionary for the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.

Changed 'may demonstrate homelessness' to 'shall demonstrate homelessness,' making presentation of a letter from an approved entity a required condition for receiving the fee waiver.

SCOPE

Added a new subsection to both R.S. 32:412.4 (driver's licenses) and R.S. 40:1321.3 (state ID cards) stating that the fee waiver provisions apply only to residents of the state of Louisiana.

Expanded the list of co-sponsors from a single representative (Boyd) to 25 representatives, indicating broader legislative backing for the bill.

HB712 Engrossed → HB712 Reengrossed · 3 edits · Mar 26, 2026

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to add several new sponsors and clarify that the fee waiver for homeless individuals applies only to Louisiana residents. Additionally, the fee waiver for driver's licenses now explicitly excludes individuals whose licenses have been suspended, revoked, or cancelled.

Scope change

The scope of the fee waiver was narrowed to apply exclusively to residents of Louisiana, and eligibility for driver's license waivers was restricted to those not currently under suspension, revocation, or cancellation.

ELIGIBILITY

Added a requirement that the fee waiver provisions apply only to residents of the state of Louisiana.

Added an exception stating that the fee waiver for driver's licenses does not apply if the individual's license has been suspended, revoked, or cancelled.

REQUIREMENT

Added multiple new sponsors to the bill, expanding the coalition of representatives supporting the legislation.

HB712 Original → HB712 Engrossed · 2 edits · Mar 26, 2026

MINOR

The bill was changed from giving the Department of Public Safety the option to waive fees for homeless individuals to requiring them to do so. Additionally, the list of organizations that can verify homelessness was expanded to include healthcare providers, school liaisons, and domestic violence service providers.

Scope change

The scope of the fee waiver requirement was broadened by adding new categories of entities capable of certifying a person's homeless status.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the fee waiver rule from permissive ('may not charge') to mandatory ('shall not charge') for both driver's licenses and state ID cards.

ELIGIBILITY

Added healthcare providers, school homeless liaison staffers, and domestic violence service providers to the list of entities authorized to issue the required letter of homelessness.

MTR VEHICLE/OFFICE: Provides relative to fee waivers by the office of motor vehicles for driver's licenses and state identification cards (RE1 DECREASE SG RV See Note)

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors