Gov. Landry vetoes Louisiana balloon release ban bill 

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A bill that would have banned outdoor balloon releases was vetoed by Gov. Jeff Landry.

House Bill 581 was sponsored by Rep. John R. Illg Jr. (R-Harahan) and approved by lawmakers before it was sent to Landry’s desk.

If passed, the bill would not have allowed anyone older than 16 to release balloons outside intentionally.

Anyone caught releasing balloons would have faced a fine, depending on whether it was their first, second, or third violation. The first offense would have cost the violator $150, $250 for the second offense, and $500 if they were caught a third time.

In a letter to Speaker DeVillier and Clerk Fontenot, Landry stated that the bill was vetoed due to it being “impossible or impractical to execute.”

Landry said, “if signed into law, police departments across the state will be tasked with tracking down locations from where balloons were released based off eyewitness accounts, only to be met, if met at all, with excuses and finger-pointing to avoid meeting the bill’s requirements for a fine to be issued.”

Latest News