By a vote of 75-27, the Louisiana House of Representatives on Tuesday advanced a bill that would trigger a constitutional convention.
House Bill 800, which was introduced by state Rep. Beau Beaullieu, R-New Iberia, outlines the parameters of the convention.
The bill calls for a convention of all 144 state legislators plus 27 additional delegates appointed by Gov. Jeff Landry. While the delegates were originally planned to convene on May 20, committees would now meet in June and July to weigh possible changes before the full convention kicks off on August 1. The convention would need to adjourn no later than August 15.
A handful of amendments to the bill helped secure its passage. The amendments shield the funding structure of K-12 public schooling, the homestead exemption on property taxes and retirement benefits for public employees and teachers from alteration, among other protections.
Landry and Republican legislative leaders have called for a revised, shorter version of the Louisiana Constitution to be put before voters this November. Proponents of the convention have previously stated that laws contained in the constitution would not be struck down outright, meaning delegates would focus primarily on streamlining the document by relocating certain provisions to a separate “super statute.”
It is worth noting that changes to constitutional provisions must be approved by two-thirds of the Legislature as well as voters in a statewide election, while changes to statutes require only the Legislature’s simple-majority approval. Relocating constitutional provisions to a separate statute would make it easier to amend or strike down any relocated laws in the future.
HB800 now heads to the Senate for further deliberation. Louisiana’s current state constitution was ratified in 1974 and has been amended 216 times.
