The Louisiana Retailers Association updates this page regularly with important new information about legislative and other issues to keep the savvy member and the public alert, informed, and in touch with industry issues, locally and nationally. Sales Tax Exemption There seems to be confusion among retailers as to the sales tax exemption on food for home consumption as some retailers continue to collect sales tax on food items that have been exempt since July 1, 2003, when the voters approved the Constitutional Amendment to exempt "food for home consumption" from the state sales tax. After the Constitutional Amendment was approved in November 2002, the Department of Revenue issued Revenue Ruling No. 03-002 that explained how the exemption should be applied. The ruling provided that the definition of "food for home consumption" included virtually all prepackaged, manufactured single-serving foods such as candy bars, chips, and bottled and canned soft drinks. These items, which were considered taxable, are now exempt from the state sales tax. Based on complaints received from consumers, this is where most of the confusion occurs with retailers. To ensure that the sales tax is properly collected, it is very important that convenience and chain stores properly program their cash registers and network systems to reflect the sales tax change. If you would like a copy of Revenue Ruling No. 03-002, please contact the Louisiana Retailers Association at lra@laretail.org or 1-800-572-2378. Emergency Response Guide for Retailers As a part of its efforts to educate and protect retail customers, merchandise and employees, the National Retail Federation's loss prevention team partnered with the International Council of Shopping Centers and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to create emergency response protocols for retailers to react, respond, and recover from active shooter incidents. "It is imperative that retailers, regardless of the type of store or size of the company, remain vigilant and aware of dangers," said Joe LaRocca, NRF Vice President Loss Prevention. "Retailers and malls should be planning for life-threatening incidents to occur at their stores, educating employees on how to handle the situation, and working with law enforcement on a consistent approach to quickly address a situation if it arises." The guide serves to educate companies about active shooters, which have become a serious threat in recent years. Basic guidelines for how to analyze the situation and react accordingly are outlined in a way that serves all types of retailers regardless of size. NRF encourages retailers to use the guidelines as a part of their larger emergency management plan to protect employees and customers. Click Here to Download Active Shooter Guidelines for Retailers THE EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT (Card Check) It is important that Senator Mary Landrieu continues to hear from constituents about how dangerous the Employee Free Choice Act is to employees and employers. EFCA amounts to the most radical changes to labor laws in 60 years. It would strip workers and businesses of critical rights and protections. Passage of this legislation would have a devastating effect on the retail industry, our employees and our customers. Please click on the following link to access an EFCA toolkit, which contains facts on the dangers of this legislation. EFCA Toolkit To contact Senator Mary Landrieu: Phone: (202)224-5824 Fax: (202) 224-9735 Email Senator Mary Landrieu SAMPLE LETTER Senator Mary L. Landrieu 724 Hart Senate Building Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator: My name is ___________________, and I am the owner/manager of ABC Store in Baton Rouge, LA. I am very concerned about the deceptively named Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). A vote in support of EFCA is seen by many business owners as a vote to subject Louisiana employees to harassment and coercion in what should be an independent, personal and confidential decision of whether or not to join a union. Without the protection of a private ballot, supporters and opponents of a unionizing campaign could harass Louisiana workers at work, at home; day and night. EFCA would also circumvent the traditional collective bargaining process, favoring mandatory binding arbitration by the federal government instead. Passage of EFCA would have a devastating effect on the retail industry, our employees and our customers. Please protect the ability of American workers to choose whether or not to unionize through federally-supervised secret ballot elections. We also encourage you to oppose any modified versions of EFCA, which include quickie elections and increased penalties against employers. Thank you for not co-sponsoring this legislation, and I urge you to OPPOSE the Employee Free Choice Act by voting NO on the cloture motion. Sincerely, Name Company City, State New Technology to Fight Methamphetamine Across Louisiana State law enforcement officials recently launched a new initiative in the war on methamphetamine. The National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx) is a multi-state electronic tracking system that enforces purchase limits on over-the-counter medicines containing pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in meth. Louisiana became one of the first two states, along with Kentucky, to adopt NPLEx as its e-tracking program. NPLEx tracks cold and allergy medicine purchases and helps retailers and consumers stay in compliance with state and federal laws that place restrictions on these medicines. The program has given law enforcement a powerful intelligence tool to locate people involved with making meth. When consumers buy products containing the drug, pharmacists and law enforcement are notified if the consumer exceeds purchasing limits. Louisiana entered into the NPLEx agreement with the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators (NADDI), a nonprofit group that facilitates cooperation between law enforcement, health-care professionals, state regulatory agencies, and pharmaceutical manufacturers in the prevention and investigation of prescription drug diversion.