Payday lending dominates Ebony Caucus city hallway
By the conclusion of the city hallway conference Saturday at Baton Rouge Community university, state Rep. Katrina Jackson vowed to not accept any funds that are further payday financing lobbyists. Jackson may be the seat for the Louisiana Legislative Ebony Caucus, the business that hosted the city hallway occasion.
The caucus consists of Louisiana’s 32 black colored state legislators — 23 representatives and nine senators.
Predatory payday lending dominated most of the city hall’s conversation, as a few concerned residents and community leaders collected into the Magnolia Performing Arts Pavilion Theatre to inquire about concerns and share experiences.
Whenever Edgar Cage, an agent of Together Louisiana, surely got to the microphone, he warned of payday lending lobbyists buying down black colored caucus users in other states and persuading legislators to not enact payday financing reform.
Cage told the Louisiana Legislative Ebony Caucus people moderating the conversation to be controlled by constituents and never to lobbyists. He wish to see every person in the caucus help lending reform that is payday.
“We have now been offered into slavery as soon as. Please don’t do so once again,” Cage stated.
Jackson reacted by saying she could never be purchased by any donor, she had probably taken donations from payday lending businesses in the past though she acknowledged.
Jackson’s other moderators, Rep. Patricia Smith, Rep. Regina Barrow and Sen. Sharon Weston Broome echoed her sentiments, saying cash will not influence the choices they make as legislators and black colored caucus users.
Based on data from Together Louisiana, ongoing state laws and regulations allow payday loan providers to charge significantly more than 700 % in annual interest and costs on pay day loans.