§218. Pedestrians soliciting rides or business

            A. Subject to Subsection B of this Section, no person shall stand on a public roadway for the purpose of soliciting a ride, employment, or business from the occupant of any vehicle.

            B.(1) Subject to the permission of the local municipal or parish authority in which the roadway is located, a member of a professional firefighters association, a police officer, or other public safety officer shall not be prohibited by this Section nor any other provision of state law from standing on a public roadway for the purpose of soliciting contributions on behalf of bona fide charitable or civic organizations during daylight hours, if all of the following are satisfied:

            (a) The charitable or civic organization complies with applicable local government regulations. A local municipal or parish authority may enact or enforce regulations that restrict, but shall not prohibit, the activity described in this Subsection.

            (b) The charitable or civic organization maintains at least five hundred thousand dollars in liability insurance.

            (c) The person is eighteen years of age or older.

            (d) The person is wearing high-visibility safety apparel that meets current American standards promulgated by the International Safety Equipment Association.

            (e) The portion of the roadway upon which the solicitation occurs is not a work zone and is within an intersection where traffic control devices are present.

            (2) A local municipal or parish authority with jurisdiction over a roadway upon which solicitation occurs as described in this Subsection shall not be liable for any claim for damages arising out of the use of the roadway as described in this Subsection.

            (3) A person who violates this Subsection may be assessed a civil penalty.

            (4) As used in this Subsection, "charitable or civic organization" means a nonprofit organization that is qualified under Section 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. 501, or a veteran's organization that has tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Code.

            (5) A local municipal or parish authority that has enacted or is enforcing regulations that are prohibited under this Subsection shall bring those regulations into compliance with this Subsection no later than sixty days following its effective date.

            C. This Section shall be known as the Rivers Lacrouts Charitable Solicitation Act.

            Acts 1962, No. 310, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1132, §1, eff. July 1, 1999; Acts 2019, No. 123, §1.