BATON ROUGE, La. — At the state capital, the full House is expected to vote next week on whether to call a convention to rework parts of the state constitution.
The bill advanced out of committee, despite a long list of questions and concerns about a two-week timeline.
Friday, Gov. Jeff Landry held a news conference to push for the convention.
“Anybody that says that governor, you’re just trying to consume more power, I am here to tell you all in front of the media that is complete nonsense,” Landry said.
Landry said it’s about reorganizing not rewriting the constitution to give lawmakers more flexibility, particularly when it comes to balancing the state budget.
The state is looking at a half-billion-dollar budget shortfall next year when a temporary sales tax rolls off the books.
Constitutionally protected funds for things like K-12 education would be on the table.
Right now, higher ed and health care are the only portions of the budget that can be easily cut during a fiscal crisis.
“This is about giving the legislature the tools to address the problems that we know are coming and an opportunity to make the changes that the people of this state are not only demanding but they’re anxiously waiting for,” Landry said.
The nonpartisan think tank “Invest in Louisiana” is running commercials in Baton Rouge, objecting to the convention timetable.
It would begin on May 20 and end by June 3, while lawmakers are still in session.
Two weeks versus a three-year process during the last constitutional convention 50 years ago.
“Certainly, there’s a case to be made that we need to clean up and reevaluate some of these things,” Invest in Louisiana Executive Director Jan Moller. “That process needs to take more than two weeks and the public needs to have some input in this.”
Sen. Royce Duplessis, D-New Orleans also has major concerns.
“Too many questions, He said. “Not enough answers.”
Sen. Duplessis says when you open up the Constitution, you open up Pandora’s Box.
The governor claims he would protect the homestead exemption for property taxes and supplemental pay for police officers.
But Duplessis fears delegates could go after New Orleans’ Home Rule Charter.
“That gives us a lot of strength and autonomy as a city to govern ourselves and I’m deeply concerned that if we go into this constitutional convention, something like the home rule charter could be up for grabs,” Duplessis said
The delegates would be made up of the 144 members of the state legislature along with 27 picked by the governor.
“So far we haven’t been told any details whatsoever about what the governor and his allies want to change in the constitution or why,” Moller said. “Our organization is really worried about the constitutional safeguard against sales taxes on groceries, prescription drugs, and residential utilities.”
The bill setting up the guidelines for the convention requires a two-thirds vote in each chamber.
If the bill passes and a constitutional convention is called, Louisiana voters will get the final say during the presidential election this fall.
“Don’t you believe it should be placed (on the ballot) at a time when the most amount of people of this state can have a say,” Landry said.
“We don’t have to do this while we’re in legislative session,” Duplessis said. “We can do it at another time and still get this on the ballot. It doesn’t have to be done in this way.”
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