LobbyComply Blog

The Louisiana Legislature ended its first-ever veto override session July 23 after failing to gather enough support to overturn any of the 28 bills Gov. John Bel Edwards had vetoed.

During the session, which could have lasted until midnight July 24, lawmakers failed to reach the necessary two-thirds majority in each chamber to revive the vetoed legislation.

The most noteworthy proposal, Senate Bill 156, would have banned transgender athletes from taking part in girls’ and women’s sports.

The House voted 68-30 July 21 in favor of overriding the governor’s veto of the bill with two votes shy of the 70 needed to make the bill law.

This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

Louisiana lawmakers will convene for the first veto override session in history as the Republican-dominated Legislature plans to challenge Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards’ vetoes on a transgender sports ban, a gun rights expansion and as many as 26 other vetoes.

The veto session, which will begin at noon July 20 and must end by midnight July 24, was triggered when a majority of legislators in both the House and Senate withheld their ballots that would have canceled the session.

Only 12 of 39 senators returned ballots to cancel, while 35 of 104 members of the House returned ballots to cancel. One seat is vacant in the 105-members House.

The most often mentioned targets for override have been Senate Bill 156 by Sen. Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, to ban transgender athletes from competing on girls sports teams and Senate Bill Senate Bill 118 by Sen. Jay Morris, R-Monroe, to allow anyone 21 and older to carry a concealed firearm without a permit or training.

If any veto is overturned, the bill becomes law without the governor’s signature.

This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

Louisiana election officials have scheduled a special election November 13 for the District 102 seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives.

The seat became vacant after former incumbent Gary Carter Jr. was elected to the state Senate on June 12.

The primary is scheduled for October 9, and the filing deadline is on July 16.

The cap for how much Louisiana’s lobbyists can spend to wine and dine public officials is edging higher July 1.

With the start of the new state budget year, the limit lobbyists can spend on food and drink for state lawmakers, other elected officials and public employees is increasing from $63 to $65 per person, per occasion.

The Louisiana Board of Ethics, which oversees the lobbying spending restrictions, made the adjustment to take effect with the latest state fiscal year.

The lobbying cap enacted more than a decade ago started with a $50 limit. But the 2008 law allows annual adjustments tied to increases in the federal Consumer Price Index for food and beverages. That index rose 3.8% in the last year, according to the ethics board.

The Louisiana Legislature will adjourn sine die no later than 6 p.m. June 10 in accordance with state law.

Gov. John Bel Edwards will hold a media briefing about the 2021 legislative session 30 minutes after adjournment sine die.

During the session, a bill eliminating certain aggregate campaign contribution limitations passed.

Senate Bill 4 removes the limitation on combined contributions for both the primary and general elections that may be accepted by any candidate and his principal and subsidiary campaign committees from a political committee.

Present law provides the total amount of combined contributions for both the primary and general elections that may be accepted by a candidate and his principal and subsidiary campaign committees from political committees must not exceed $80,000 for major office candidates, $60,000 for district office candidates, and $20,000 for other office candidates in aggregate.

Senate Bill 4 was sent to the governor on June 1 and has an effective date of August 1.

Louisiana election officials have scheduled a special election for the District 7 seat in the Louisiana State Senate for July 10.

The seat became vacant after Troy Carter was elected to the U.S. House to represent Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District on April 24.

The primary will take place on June 12, and the filing deadline is on May 7.

The Louisiana Legislature will convene in a special session on September 28 to address issues such as COVID-19, storm relief, and unemployment.

The Louisiana Constitution authorizes lawmakers to call themselves into special session upon the written petition of a majority of the elected members of each house.

Lawmakers may file and consider bills on 70 items. House Speaker Clay Schexnayder announced the special session will focus primarily on Hurricane Laura disaster relief and recovery efforts, on-going issues with COVID-19 relative to funding and the economy, and the state’s Unemployment Trust Fund.
Several House members have also asked to address the continued proclamations issued by Gov. John Bel Edwards during the pandemic and what many see as an imbalance of power.
The session is set to begin September 28 at 6 p.m. and must adjourn by 6 p.m. on October 27.

This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

Lobbyists in Louisiana can now spend a bit more on wining and dining state lawmakers and other public officials.

When the new budget year began July 1, the lobbying limit on food and drink for a public official edged up $1 per person, per occasion.

The new limit per person at an event is $63.

When the lobbying cap was first enacted, the limit was $50 per occasion.

However, the 2008 law that sets the limit allows annual adjustment tied to increases in the federal consumer price Index for food and beverages.

That index rose 1.8 percent in the last year.

Louisiana lawmakers have until final adjournment at 6 p.m. on June 30 to pass the government spending plan for the fiscal year that begins on July 1.

In the special session premised in large part on COVID-19 relief, lawmakers gave final legislative approval June 29 to send $250 hazard pay checks to up to 200,000 frontline workers.

Qualifying jobs include health workers, emergency, fire and law enforcement personnel, bus drivers, garbage workers, and grocery store and convenience store workers.

Additionally, negotiations on the state budget continue into the final day of the special session.

Louisiana lawmakers called themselves into a 30-day special session that began on June 2, immediately following the adjournment of the regular session.

The special session agenda focuses on piecing together a more than $30 billion operating budget for the financial year that begins on July 1.

The session will also center on tax credit considerations, exemptions, and suspensions for businesses that were forced to reduce operations since March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Louisiana lawmakers will resume their regular legislative session on May 4 to address budget issues and virus response legislation.

Despite the stay-at-home order in place through May 15, many legislators are ready to return for the remainder of session.

These final four weeks began March 9, and the session was postponed March 16.

Legislative leaders also anticipate a large financial gap from widespread unemployment, forcing down tax collections and oil prices.

Altogether, the next financial year, beginning July 1, is predicting between $500 million to $1 billion less in state funding.

With a session that must end June 1, many legislators are eager to use the available days to assist with economic recovery.

This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

Gov. John Bel Edwards delayed Louisiana’s presidential primary a second time due to COVID-19.

The primary was originally scheduled for April 4. Edwards initially postponed the election until June 20 at the request of Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin.

Now the primary election has been pushed back an extra three weeks to July 11, making it one of the last states on the current primary calendar.

Ardoin also asked lawmakers to approve emergency procedures for the election. He sought to expand early voting from seven to 13 days.

Additionally, he wants to widen the availability of mail-in absentee ballots to people impacted by the virus.

With a 5-1 vote, the Senate and Governmental Affairs rejected an emergency certification that Ardoin needed to move ahead with the changes to polling places, early voting timelines, and absentee-by-mail voting eligibility.

The vote’s impact on the election is uncertain.

Only 58 House members and 21 Senate members of the Louisiana Legislature returned briefly on March 31.

Lawmakers did not set a date for their next return, opting instead to recess upon the call of the presiding officer.

House Speaker Clay Schexnayder and Senate President Page Cortez will decide when the session will resume.

Gov. John Bel Edwards said March 31 he is likely to extend his statewide stay-at-home order until April 30 to coincide with federal guidelines.

In the meantime, official legislative proceedings are halted.

The legislature is prohibited by statutory, constitutional, and rule requirements from meeting remotely.

This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

On March 16, the Louisiana Legislature was temporarily suspended due to COVID-19.

The suspension is scheduled to be in effect until 11 a.m. on March 31.

Per the constitution, the legislature is still scheduled to adjourn sine die on June 1.