BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana lawmakers aren’t wasting any time at the state capitol. Tuesday, they wrapped up day two of Governor Jeff Landry’s special session on crime.
The House and Senate have already considered over twenty bills.
It’s a pace that some representatives say isn’t giving them enough time to make decisions that will change lives.
“I think it’s too fast,” State Representative Aimee Adatto Freeman said. “As part of the democratic caucus, I wish we had more transparency, and with rushing these types of bills, we don’t have full full discussion.”
More than two dozen bills have been considered, including one on the death penalty, with mixed reactions.
Another bill considered would decrease the post conviction relief timeline down from two years to one. Lawmakers heard testimonies from exonerated men who spent years in jail for crimes they didn’t commit.
“Time limitations is very important,” Sulivan Walters said. “I stayed in prison 36 years and two years after being convicted, I presented this evidence that showed I could have not been the perpetrator of this crime.”
It didn’t seem to make a difference. The bill was approved and sent to the full house. Representative Laurie Schlegel from Metairie brought two bills to the table. One would crack down on carjackers, increasing minimum sentences from two years to five, more than doubling those sentences if the victim was injured.
“It’s one of those crimes that is so traumatic and has a huge impact on the victim,” Schlegel said. “We want to make sure we deter this crime.”
If passed, Schlegel’s second bill would put fentanyl dealers behind bars for up to 99 years if they sell products that appeal to minors. Both bills advanced to the house.
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