Legislation that would create a special task force to evaluate the need for a constitutional convention in Louisiana—and then possibly call one in January of 2018—was approved by representatives today and now moves to the House floor for further consideration.
And since the goal of the bill is to help the state reach financial stability, members of the House Appropriations Committee asked the author to make sure the process would not cost Louisiana’s government a single penny during the next fiscal year.
HB 733 by Rep. Neil Abramson, D-New Orleans, is one of five bills filed this session calling for a constitutional convention—and the only one on the move. Abramson’s measure was chosen and backed by the other convention-calling legislators to move forward.
Rep. Franklin Foil, R-Baton Rouge, who had his own convention proposal, spoke on behalf of the bill at today’s meeting and addressed the cost concerns. In response, the committee amended the bill so that the state would have to pay the cost of the task force only if there’s funding available to do so.
The last constitutional convention, held in the early 1970s, cost the state $3 million, Foil said. Under Abramson’s bill, an evaluation task force would begin meeting in the fall to analyze the current constitution. During the 2017 regular session, tt would then make a recommendation to the Legislature as to whether a convention should be called.
“The real fiscal impact would happen after January 2018,” Foil said. “The only impact to (the next fiscal year) budget that I would like to address is the fiscal cost per diem for the group that would meet in the fall of 2016.”
In other action, the Appropriations Committee approved a proposed constitutional amendment by Sen. Bret Allain II, R-Franklin, to open up constitutionally-protected funds for general use during severe funding deficits. Allain’s SB 201 would effectively lower the deficit amount needed to “trigger” the constitutional provision for allowing legislators to tap into protected funding, or monies allocated for specific uses.
“We always get criticism from back home about all of these protected funds,” Allain said.
According to the senator, as it stands now, the state would have to be in a “true recession” to use the protected funds—and even today’s downturn would not apply. “I thought it was reasonable that we would have reasonable trigger to access these funds,” he added.
—Deanna B. Narveson & Jeremy Alford
Jeremy Alford, D.B. Narveson and Gordon Brillon will publish a daily update throughout the legislative regular session on Daily Report PM. Alford reports on Louisiana politics at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter or on Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
