Governor John Bel Edwards stands firm on why he vetoed two high-profile bills with state lawmakers likely heading towards their first-ever override veto session. Legislation banning transgender females from competing in women’s sports passed with veto-proof margins in the House and Senate but Edwards says it’s a solution looking for a problem.
“There is not a single incident in the history of Louisiana of the type of conduct that the bill seeks to prohibit,” said Edwards.
The anti-transgender legislation passed in the Senate on a 29-6 vote and received bipartisan passage in the House with a 78-17 vote.
Edwards said such legislation also puts the state at financial risk with the potential loss of sporting events like the NCAA Final Four Basketball Tournament scheduled for New Orleans next year.
“So, it seeks to prohibit conduct that isn’t happening but at the very real risk of losing things that are so vital to our economy as we recover from the pandemic and try to restart tourism,” said Edwards.
Edwards also vetoed legislation removing the requirement to obtain a permit to carry a concealed handgun in Louisiana. The governor, who is a second amendment rights supporter, said removing the requirement to undergo training and hold a permit puts the public and law enforcement at risk and such requirements are a fair trade-off.
“If there’s going to be an override session it would be it would be a tremendous mistake to override what creates that right balance in my view and in the view of about 70% of Louisiana,” said Edwards.
Conceal carry legislation passed in the Senate on a 27-10 vote and in the House 73-28.
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