Senate Commerce Committee green lights $400K a year to facilitate Cosmetology Board spending $1 million+ on a building not worth anywhere near that much.

Rev. Freddie Lee Phillips stresses what he contends are “inflated figures” by the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology (LSBC) in its quest for a $1 million a year license fee increase.

When we published episode one of the LSBC’s quest for $1 million a year, we got feedback from a number of former colleagues with whom Sound Off Louisiana founder Robert Burns worked who excel at accounting concepts.  The comments we received entailed an “unparallelled lack of knowledge” of even the most basic of fundamental accounting concepts by folk representing the LSBC.

One former colleague said the video of the prior feature was “unbelievably comical” that a State Board could be expected to be taken seriously given the “clownish, amateurish, and completely embarrassing” performance that those affiliated with the LSBC put on.

On Wednesday, May 21, 2025, an encore performance was necessitated after the Senate Commerce Committee instructed those folk to return with actual numbers of what matters like building repairs and computer technology upgrades would actually cost.

Amazingly, those “estimated costs” (and we’ve made public records requests to obtain the documentation provided to the Senators), just so happen to total (almost to the dime) the available cash that the LSBC holds.  That is to say, the technology components of $700,000, when combined with an estimated $1,050,000 in building repairs (on a facility not worth anywhere near that much), just so happen to barely exceed the LSBC’s available cash on hand.

We consulted with two (2) IT experts, both of whom informed us that the LSBC should absolutely outsource that function to one of many license-management vendor products.  One of the two said, “This is not the business that the Cosmetology Board should be in.  It’s hard for me to fathom why nobody has apparently even explored outsourcing the management of their license responsibilities!”

Regarding the building repairs, that estimated cost came in at $1,050,000.  In addition to Burns being an inactive CPA for 35 years, he was also a real estate broker for 10 years from 2003-2013.  Even without that real estate broker designation, however, common sense would dictate that nobody possessing any financial management skills whatsoever (of which the LSBC appears to possess none) can justify spending $1,050,000 on a building worth nowhere near that much!

We made a few calls to current commercial real estate brokers to obtain information relevant on the LSBC’s building.  Here are our findings:

11622 Sun Belt Ct, Baton Rouge, LA 70809

Office

6,000

Sq Ft

Year Built

1984

Land Use

Store/Office (mixed use)

Multi Parcel

No

APN / Tax ID

257311

And here is a recently-sold available comp:

Property Information

Recently Closed 3/6 Closed / Public Record • Sold Date: 3/6/2025, Public Record

Closed Price

$702,505

Closed Date 3/6/2025

 

Office

Type

6,458

Sq Ft

SOUTHERN EARTH SCIENCES INC

Type

Office

 

Year Built

1985

Land Use

 

General Use

Stores/Mixed Use

Overall Use

MIXED USE

Multi Parcel

No

Tenants Count

Tenants Avg. Days In

Business

20 years and 26 days

APN / Tax ID

257303

So, we have a slightly larger comp which sold for $702,205 on March 6, 2025, so a ball park figure of the LSBC’s building’s market value should approximate $650,000 – $675,000, yet here is a state agency, with the full blessing of an entire membership of the Louisiana Senate Commerce Committee, ready to charge full steam ahead and spend over $1 million on such a facility!  Un-freaking-believable!  Only in government are such grossly-irresponsible investment decisions made!

Once those improvements are complete (which we contend should never be made and the building instead sold after the LSBC does what most state agencies do and lease, not own, its office space), the assessor should substantially increase its valuation, leading to an astounding increase in the LSBC’s annual property tax bill!

With all that in mind, lets provide the highlights of today’s Edition Two of the three-ring-circus of a Louisiana Senate Commerce Committee meeting of May 21, 2025 entailing this massive fee increase being sought by the LSBC (it should, if nothing else, provide yet more comic relief):

May 21, 2025 Louisiana Senate Commerce Committee meting pertaining to the LSBC’s massive $1 million a year license fee increase.   CLICK HERE to see Chris Guidry’s commentary on the LSBC and CLICK HERE to watch his presentation to the LSBC.

So, that’s it folks!  All that’s left to see is if the full Louisiana Senate gives its blessing to this measure, particularly under these conditions!

Cosmetology Board seeks $1 million a year fee increase but can’t even answer simple financial questions posed by Senators Connick, Bouie.

Rev. Freddie Lee Phillips (right) expresses his concerns that the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology (LSBC) is seeking for the Senate Commerce Committee to provide a “blank check” to them and expresses his frustration that the LSBC provided no hard numbers whatsoever at the House Commerce Committee when he testified stating that those numbers should be provided.

What happens when you show up at a Senate Commerce Committee seeking a $1 million a year fee increase, yet you can’t even respond to very basic financial questions by two State Senators, Sen. Joseph Bowie, Jr. (D-NO) and Sen. Patrick Connick (R-Marrero)?  The following video demonstrates what happens perfectly:

May 14, 2025 Louisiana Senate Commerce Committee meeting during which the LSBC sought a $1 million a year fee increase but could not answer even the most basic of questions posed by Senators Bowie and Connick.

As Burns testifies on the above video, all of the numbers he presented to the Senate Commerce Committee came directly from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s website for the audit for FYE 6/30/24.

As he has so consistently done at Board meetings, LSBC Executive Director Steve Young has painted a totally false picture of the LSBC’s finances in which he has consistently said, “Without this fee increase, we’ll be out of business in two years.”

Were Young’s statements even remotely accurate (they are not), the accounting firm who produced the above-linked audit report would have been required to add a paragraph after its unqualified opinion expressing concern over the LSBC’s “ability to continue as a going concern.”

Obviously, Young knows almost nothing about financial statements, nor does he demonstrate even the remotest ability to properly analyze them.  Burns, as an inactive CPA (for 35 years), a former FDIC bank examiner, and former credit analyst at several Baton Rouge area banks, has literally analyzed thousands upon thousands of company or nonprofit audit reports over his 61-year life.

Since the Committee will give the LSBC another shot next Wednesday (May 21, 2025), we’ll see if they want to take Burns up on his challenge and provide a CPA willing to refute the testimony Burns provided in the above video.

 

Riecke’s reported LSPC resignation is an authoritative win for St. Tammany & Louisiana residents, but it does nothing to absolve the lying on the part of Gov. Landry that caused his reappointment in the first place.

Jared Caruso-Riecke, who reportedly resigned from the Louisiana State Police Commission (LSPC) earlier this week.

On Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at 3:58 p.m. we sent this email from Sound Off Louisiana founder Robert Burns to his State Senator, Franklin Foil.  From the email:

I am joining a huge number of St. Tammany Parish Residents who are making their sentiments known to Sen. Patrick McMath their staunch opposition to the appointment of Jared Riecke to the Louisiana State Police Commission.

I share those sentiments and are (sic) expressing them to you, my State Senator, but I also extend the same sentiments entailing Stephen L. Guidry.

Mr. Guidry, upon information and belief, at the direct instruction of the Louisiana State Trooper’s Association, changed his voter registration to be in East Baton Rouge Parish from St. Tammany Parish on or around January 5, 2025.

Mr. Guidry changed that voter registration but nevertheless continued to use St. Tammany Parish voter registration for purposes of the Louisiana Motor Vehicle Commission.

Mr. Guidry did so in order to overcome Gov. Landry’s selection of him to represent the citizens of the FIRST U. S. Congressional District. By Louisiana’s Constitution, Gov. Landry would have been limited to choosing Guidry (who he actually wanted) to represent that District.

Instead, by Guidry’s act of changing his voter registration to be allegedly now representing citizens of the SIXTH Congressional District, Gov. Landry obtained the ability to nominate Riecke to the Police Commission for the First District (which is what the LSTA wanted).

In so doing, Gov. Landry made a completely false statement on his nomination letter in stating that, “Dillard University failed to nominate,” when, in reality, not only did Dillard nominate, but
it nominated the very person Landry wanted to represent the District, Stephen L. Guidry.

All of the details are outlined here:

Is it a violation of Federal law to assert St. Tammany residency for LMVC purposes and EBRP for LSPC purposes and, if so, will the Louisiana Senate join in collusion?

Thank you for taking the time to consider this matter, and I urge you to reject the nominations of both of these two gentlemen to the Louisiana State Police Commission.

Apparently, the pressure on Sen. McMath coming from his own constituency together with the fact that the Louisiana Senate should have difficulty confirming either of these two gentlemen simply became too much.  Thus, according to multiple reports we’ve gotten from sources we deem to be highly reliable, Riecke resigned from the LSPC earlier this week.

While Burns had a doctor’s appointment this past Thursday (May 8, 2025) and was therefore unable to attend the LSPC meeting, he did note Riecke’s conspicuous absence from the meeting.

Here is our video covering this matter, and the latest twist it has taken:

May 10, 2025:  Burns recaps the whole sordid scandal of the reappointment of Jared Caruso-Riecke to the LSPC.

On the above video, Burns credits “We the People” on Facebook and states that, for people on Facebook (Burns is not) to search for “We the People.”  A dedicated follower of our blog was kind enough to provide two videos pertaining to the Riecke sad saga.  Let’s present them:

We the People’s video of April 24, 2025 entailing Riecke’s prospective confirmation by the Louisiana Senate.

We the People’s Facebook video celebrating Riecke’s resignation from the LSPC.

As stated in the Sound Off video above, LSP continues to be a reckless operation with seemingly near weekly reports of arrests for shoplifting, driving drunk (too many for us to even try to itemize), domestic abuse, to include this latest such arrest.  The Trooper, Sgt. Joshua Duhon, according to our sources, “Beat the living hell out of his wife and is the same one they covered up the accident in his unit when he was all pilled up.  She had a broken eye orbital, broken arm, and some ribs.  She was found half naked in their driveway.”

Now the big question is:  What happens with Stephen L. Guidry?  In order to clear up allegations of “voter fraud,” he could always “move back” to the First Congressional District; however, doing so would further demonstrate the entire scam perpetrated upon the people of Louisiana (and actually expose the voter fraud).  Those citizens are way beyond sick and tried of the corruption and underhanded dealings that seem to constantly abound from Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry!

On the other hand, if Guidry “sits tight” in the Sixth Congressional District, we will see if the Louisiana Senate is willing to give a wink and a nod to this alleged voter fraud of if they’ll ask very probing questions of newly-elected State Sen. Larry Selders.

After all, Selders is replacing former State Sen. (now U. S. Congressman) Cleo Fields, who is the very State Senator who authored the bill requiring Senate Confirmation of these LSPC appointees to avoid the prospect, as Burns states on the above video, “of a loose-cannon Governor appointing these types of characters.”