Louisiana Constitutional Convention

Louisiana’s constitution was adopted in April 1974 after several years of work. Back then, voters elected delegates to a constitutional convention that lasted for an entire year. This year Gov. Jeff Landry is proposing a new constitutional convention that would last just TWO weeks and would not let voters pick the delegates. The governor and his allies have not said what they want to change in the constitution, only that they want to remove things from the document and place them in state law.

The constitution has been amended more than 200 times over the past 50 years, and could use a thorough review. Such a review, however, should only happen after the public has a chance to elect the delegates, and those delegates should do their work in a deliberate and public fashion.

While the details are scarce, the stakes are high.

The constitution guarantees that the state sales tax can’t apply to basic necessities like groceries, prescription drugs and home utilities. It protects the homestead exemption, which keeps the first $75,000 of your home’s value from being subject to property taxes. It keeps the Legislature from raiding funding for public schools, hospitals, and coastal protection when the state is facing a budget shortfall.

All of these protections could be at risk in a constitutional convention.