Talk of a special session next month so that lawmakers can then vote to hold a constitutional convention…is dead. Lapolitics.com publisher Jeremy Alford says the House Speaker has told Representatives there are no plans to reconvene in Baton Rouge anytime soon.
“Phillip DeVillier (R) started to have Zoom calls with members by class, telling them that there won’t be a special session or a constitutional convention this summer or this fall,” Alford said.
Alford says Senate leaders have shown no interest in holding a constitutional convention this year.
Governor Jeff Landry pushed for a constitutional convention this year. Landry says the state needs to streamline the constitution and at the same time provide more financial flexibility to lawmakers when the state is facing a budget deficit. But Alford says the legislative will to hold a constitutional convention is not there.
“I just don’t think the timing was right on this. One of the most difficult things to do in American public policy is to rewrite a constitution,” Alford said.
The state will see a reduction of 600-million dollars in state revenue starting next fiscal year when a temporary state sales tax expires on July 1st, 2025. Alford says changes to the constitution could be needed to respond to this potential budget deficit, but legislative leaders still might not want to take the dramatic step of holding a constitutional convention.
“That can be tackled through a package of constitutional amendments, not necessarily through a Constitutional Convention, so we could see that,” Alford said.
Comments