Proposed amendments stir special interests

With the October and November ballots now set, special interests connected to this year’s proposed constitutional amendments are beginning to surface. Coming out in support of Amendment No. 3 on the Oct. 22 ballot is a group consisting of the Louisiana Hospital Association, Louisiana Nursing Home Association, Louisiana State Medical Society and Metropolitan Hospital Council. The amendment would protect the operating revenue of the Patient’s Compensation Fund, or PCF, which serves medical malpractice claimants. The PCF was originally created by the Legislature to provide affordable, medical malpractice coverage to all private health care providers and to offer a stable source of compensation for legitimate injured parties. If this constitutional amendment passes, supporters say, its language would settle several legal debates that have the potential to hinder the activities of PCF. The amendment, which would protect the funds of the PCF from being appropriated by the Legislature and prevent the state from being liable for PCF’s debts, received unanimous support from the House and Senate earlier this year. Then there’s the November ballot, which will ask voters to decide on one constitutional amendment, to prohibit the levying of new taxes or fees upon the sale or transfer of immovable property. Louisiana Realtors, a statewide trade association, will be launching a campaign after the October elections in support of the amendment. For now, its efforts are live at staytaxfree.com. The proposed November amendment would essentially prevent any parish, municipality or other political subdivision of the state from imposing any new tax on the sale or transfer of real property. “We believe this will be a positive development for residential and commercial consumers of real estate—and good for the overall real estate market and economy in Louisiana,” said Brad Lambert, a spokesperson for the group. This amendment also passed the Legislature with unanimous support. —Jeremy Alford