11 August 2025
(lailluminator.com) — A letter Gov. Jeff Landry mailed to a sizable portion of Louisiana residents to tout his legislative wins on insurance policy will cost the public more than $378,000, WAFB-TV reports.
The two-page letter was sent to 711,114 voters at a cost of 55 cents per address, the governor’s office told the station. It includes a review of legislation Landry backed with the goal of bringing down costly auto and homeowner’s insurance premiums.
“I’m proud to share that I have signed into the law the largest package of bills to stop frivolous lawsuits in Louisiana’s history,” Landry said in the letter. “These are reforms aimed at reining in lawsuit abuse AND holding insurance companies accountable.”
Gov. Jeff Landry speaks to reporters about his legislative agenda to bring down high auto insurance rates on April 9, 2025.
Photo by Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator
One of the governor’s former allies is criticizing Landry for sending out his mailer without including information on how it was funded. Woody Jenkins, East Baton Rouge Republican Party chairman and a former state representative, said the governor might have violated a law he sponsored during his time in the legislature that requires the disclosure. In response, the governor’s office said its mailer falls under an exception allowed for legislative, executive and judicial branch proceedings.
The two have been at odds since the spring when Jenkins actively opposed an amendment the governor backed that would have begun a considerable overhaul of the state’s tax structure. The proposal also would have weakened a constitutionally protected property tax exemption for religious organizations and nonprofits, much to the dismay of Jenkins and other church-affiliated conservatives.
Opposition to that amendment created a domino effect that knocked down all four proposed constitutional changes on the March 29 ballot.
Landry also used his letter to throw the same jab he’s aimed at arguably the state’s most ubiquitous trial attorney, noting that he supported a bill that would have prevented lawyers from listing award dollar amounts in their commercials.
“Let’s face it – we’re just as tired of the endless Morris Bart ads as we are of the GEICO lizard!” the governor said.
Bart offered his reaction to the governor’s letter on social media, posting a picture of himself holding a copy.
“I’m actually glad to see this package pass as he can now STOP BLAMING ME for high auto insurance,” Bart wrote.
The bill in question stalled in a Louisiana Senate committee.
This article originally published in the August 11, 2025 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.