Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon, speaking at the December meeting of the joint House and Senate insurance committees, concluded his testimony with praise for the Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) collection service offered by the Louisiana Municipal Advisory and Technical Services Bureau (LaMATS), a benefits arm of the Louisiana Municipal Association (LMA). The LaMATS IPT service collects annual and delinquent taxes owed to municipalities by insurance companies licensed to operate within their jurisdictions. LaMATS currently contracts with 184 Louisiana municipalities, saving public funds and personnel that would otherwise be expended to collect these taxes. “I wish that all 303 m

LaMATS now offers municipalities and institutions a FREE flag notification service. This service will announce when the American flag should be flown at half-stafff. This long standing custom signifies the country's respect for important figures and historic national holidays, such as Memorial Day and 9-11. Only the President and Governor can order U.S. flags to fly at half-staff. When this occurs, LaMATS will send your municipality an e-notfication. If interested, please provide the email addresses of those you would like to receive notice. Contact: Cliff Palmer, LaMATS, (225) 344-5001 or cpalmer@lamats.net