Louisiana Outlaws Cash For Second Hand Purchases

Whatever Happened To: “This Note Is Legal Tender For All Debts, Public And Private”



By Dell Hill

The joke writers will have a field day with this one!

“Your money’s no good here”; well, at least not in Louisiana.  The good folks at KLFY TV bring us up to date:

“Cold hard cash.  It's good everywhere you go, right?  You can use it to pay for anything.

But that's not the case here in Louisiana now.  It's a law that was passed during this year's busy legislative session.

House bill 195 basically says those who buy and sell second hand goods cannot use cash to make those transactions, and it flew so far under the radar most businesses don't even know about it.

"We're gonna lose a lot of business," says Danny Guidry, who owns the Pioneer Trading Post in Lafayette.  He deals in buying and selling unique second hand items.

"We don't want this cash transaction to be taken away from us.  It's an everyday transaction," Guidry explains.

Guidry says, "I think everyone in this business once they find out about it.  They're will definitely be a lot of uproar."

The law states those who buy or sell second hand goods are prohibited from using cash.  State representative Rickey Hardy co-authored the bill.

Hardy says, "they give a check or a cashiers money order, or electronic one of those three mechanisms is used."  Hardy says the bill is targeted at criminals who steal anything from copper to televisions, and sell them for a quick buck.  Having a paper trail will make it easier for law enforcement.

"It's a mechanism to be used so the police department has something to go on and have a lead," explains Hardy.’




Continue reading the KFLY story by clicking right here.

I’m not sure if our neighbors in Louisiana know it or not, but they just put every garage sale out of business.