NEW ORLEANS — In your Breakdown, the Louisiana House will decide whether to give Governor Jeff Landry the Constitutional Convention he wants.
House Bill 800 is finally making its way to the house floor.
It’s been pushed by Governor Jeff Landry, who says he wants to rewrite a new, slimmer Louisiana Constitution. He wants it done in just a two-week timeframe from May 20th to June 3rd.
There have been many Louisiana constitutions that have been tweaked hundreds of times by putting amendments to a vote by the people.
The current constitution was adopted in 1974 after a year-long convention. The delegates in charge were mostly elected, and some of them were everyday citizens.
House Bill 800 sets the guidelines for this convention. It calls for the job to be done in two weeks, gives Landry more power to appoint delegates, and allows private groups to donate funds to cover costs.
This concerns some lawmakers. Landry currently refuses to say what he’d like to change specifically, what would be protected, or what the rush is.
Landry says his goal is to re-organize—not re-write—the constitution to give lawmakers more flexibility.
House Bill 800 requires a two-thirds vote in each chamber.
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