Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.
With a GOP super-majority in the legislature and a Republican governor about to be sworn in, leaders from both sides of the aisle are weighing in on issues they’ll address in 2024. Newly elected chair of the House Democratic Caucus, and New Orleans Representative Matthew Williard said the first item they’ll address is the state’s congressional map.
“It sounds like Governor-elect Jeff Landry wants a special session on crime. All this of course is occurring kind of simultaneously with Mardi Gras, so it’s going be a busy early 2024 for sure,” said Willard.
New Iberia Senator-elect and former House GOP leader, Blake Miquez expects Landry will call a special session to address crime before the regular session in March.
“We have to make sure Louisiana is a place you can safely come and visit, if we want tourists to come here and we want businesses to move here, that’s our number one priority for our governor,” said Miquez.
Willard said one of the biggest concerns for his district and south Louisiana in general is property insurance. While there’s no official word on if and when a special session will be called to address homeowners insurance in Louisiana…
“However, if Commissioner-elect Tim Temple comes up with a package of bills that he thinks will impact the upcoming hurricane season that needs to be handled before the regular session then I think he will advocate for a special session,” said Willard.
In addition to addressing crime and the state’s insurance crisis, Miquez said improving education is another vital factor in attracting individuals and businesses to the state and keeping young people from leaving Louisiana.
“So, we’ve got a number of things right out of the gate that we’ve got to look at addressing and as the term develops more issues will come about,” said Miquez.
Lawmakers and Landry will be sworn in on January 8th.
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