Victory for Louisiana Florists

Written By: Shira Rawlinson and Tim Keller  |  Posted: Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Licensing Scheme Pruned Back After Florists File Civil Rights Lawsuit

Thanks to a bill signed into law today by Governor Jindal, Louisiana florists will no longer find themselves fenced out of the industry by an arbitrary, subjective and antiquated licensing exam in which their own future competitors decide whether they are "good enough" to sell floral arrangements. H.B. 1407, sponsored by Rep. Franklin Foil, abolishes the demonstration portion of the floral licensing exam, while leaving in place (for now) a short written exam that presents no serious obstacle to would-be florists. The bill passed both houses of the Louisiana legislature by wide margins. The new law comes only months after four Louisiana florists teamed up with the Institute for Justice to file Chauvin v. Strain, a civil rights lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state's anti-consumer florist licensing scheme.

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