Louisiana § RS 51:391 - Solicitations; misleading governmental appearance prohibited; misleading connections to the secretary of state prohibited; disclaimer; penalty

§ RS 51:391. Solicitations; misleading governmental appearance prohibited; misleading connections to the secretary of state prohibited; disclaimer; penalty

            A. A solicitation by a nongovernmental entity, for the purchase of or payment for a product or service, which is in the form of and reasonably could be interpreted or construed as a bill, invoice, or statement of account due, but constitutes, in fact, a solicitation for the order by the addressee of goods or services, or both, shall not contain any material which:

            (1) Reasonably could be interpreted or construed as implying any Louisiana state government connection, approval, or endorsement through the use of a seal, insignia, or name of a state agency, department, commission, or program, or a citation to a state statute.

            (2) Contains any reference to or a citation to a state statute that misrepresents either the identity of the mailer or the protection or status afforded such matter by the Louisiana state government.

            (3) Reasonably could be construed by a business registered with the secretary of state as implying any connection with the secretary of state or requiring payment or additional action to remain in good standing as a business registered with the secretary of state.

            B. In addition to the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, each solicitation shall bear on its face, at the beginning, in conspicuous and legible type which is not smaller than fourteen-point font and is in contrast by typography, layout, or color with any other printing on the solicitation, the following disclaimer:

            "THIS IS A SOLICITATION FOR THE ORDER OF GOODS OR SERVICES, OR BOTH, AND NOT A BILL, INVOICE, OR STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT DUE. YOU ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO MAKE ANY PAYMENTS ON ACCOUNT OF THIS OFFER UNLESS YOU ACCEPT THIS OFFER. THIS PRODUCT OR SERVICE HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED OR ENDORSED BY ANY LOUISIANA STATE GOVERNMENT AGENCY, AND THIS OFFER IS NOT BEING MADE BY AN AGENCY OF THE LOUISIANA STATE GOVERNMENT."

            C. Any solicitation in violation of this Section shall subject the violator to a civil fine of not more than one thousand dollars per violation. The attorney general shall bring proceedings to recover all fines due pursuant to this Section. The remedies and penalties provided in this Section shall be cumulative to all other remedies and penalties provided by law.

            Acts 2012, No. 272, §1; Acts 2021, No. 269, §1.