House vote expected today on amended constitutional convention bill

    By
    -

    The Louisiana House of Representatives is expected to vote Tuesday on a bill outlining the parameters of a limited constitutional convention.

    The legislation in question is House Bill 800, which was introduced by state Rep. Beau Beaullieu, R-New Iberia. While the bill was briefly discussed before the House last week, it was returned to the calendar after Beaullieu offered up a set of amendments intended to appease opponents and secure passage this week.

    The amendments shield the funding structure of K-12 public schooling and the homestead exemption on property taxes from alteration—two sticking points for the bill’s opponents. Private funding for the convention would also now be prohibited.

    Amendments previously adopted during the bill’s House Appropriations hearing protect Articles I-IV—which concern citizens’ rights and the separation of powers—from alteration.

    While the bill calls for the convention to be held from May 20 to June 3, supporters may push for it to be held in July or August instead.

    Louisiana’s current state constitution was ratified in 1974 and has been amended 216 times. Read more about the bill and the proposed constitutional convention here.