A half-century has passed since Louisiana voters ratified a new state constitution. Is it time to write a new one?
A lot of folks from across the political spectrum would respond “yes” to that question — including Gov. Jeff Landry and some of his top supporters. Louisiana’s current charter is bloated, having been amended more than 200 times since 1974.
There’s widespread disagreement, however, as to who should draft a proposed new constitution, how the drafters should proceed, and how much input average citizens should get during the drafting process.
Then there’s the difficult question of which provisions of the current constitution to keep and which to remove.
In the past decade, a handful of lawmakers and interest groups have floated the idea of rewriting part or all of Louisiana’s constitution, but the idea never gained traction. That kind of heavy lift requires a governor’s muscle.
Landry is giving it that. Though it wasn’t a centerpiece of his campaign last year, Landry wants legislators to finish their current session two weeks early — on May 20 rather than June 3 — and immediately hold an eight-week constitutional convention.
Landry supports Republican state Rep. Beau Beaullieu’s House Bill 800, which outlines the process for rewriting the current constitution by all 144 state lawmakers as well as 27 additional drafters chosen by Landry.
Beaullieu’s bill requires a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate, which is never easy — even with a governor’s backing. Some of Landry’s allies are already pushing back.
State Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, recently told The Louisiana Illuminator he doesn’t like the idea of rushing the Senate’s work just to go headlong into a constitutional convention — and stay in Baton Rouge till July 15.
Lawmakers have already held two special sessions, and many (if not most) would prefer to spend the summer with their families — not arguing over what to leave in, what to take out.
Beaullieu’s HB 800 also has some troubling provisions, such as allowing private donors (read: special interests) to pay for convention activities, subject to public disclosure. His proposed eight-week convention also leaves little, if any, time for public input or even serious debate. The delegates who drafted the current constitution spent more than a year at their task — including five months of committee hearings and citizen input.
Gov. Jeff Landry's first two months as Louisiana's governor have been nonstop.
All that said, Landry’s stated goal of creating a streamlined document has merit. The best constitutions include only the basics, giving lawmakers wide latitude to address challenges as they arise.
Louisiana voters, however, have a longstanding mistrust of politicians, which is why the present charter protects K-12 education and other priorities. Beaullieu foresees converting many current constitutional provisions into statutes, which can be changed by a simple legislative majority every year.
Ultimately, voters will have the final say in November.
That may be the hardest sell of all, given the many special interests, priorities and constituencies protected in the current constitution — and voters’ inherent mistrust of their elected leaders.
Getting answers to questions was always difficult and has become even more so of late.
