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Louisiana Expenditures Limit Growth Formula Amendment (2018)
| Louisiana Expenditures Limit Growth Formula Amendment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 6, 2018 | |
| Topic State and local government budgets, spending and finance | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin State legislature |
The Louisiana Expenditures Limit Growth Formula Amendment was not on the ballot in Louisiana as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 6, 2018.
The measure would have changed the formula used to determine how much revenue the state is allowed to spend each year. As of 2018, the Louisiana Constitution capped spending at the prior year's spending limit multiplied by the average annual percentage rate of change of personal income for Louisiana for the three years prior. The measure would have changed the Louisiana Constitution to allow the state legislature to enact a spending formula that would limit spending to the prior year's spending limit multiplied by six percent or less.[1]
The measure would have eliminated a provision of the state constitution requiring that revenue in excess of the expenditure limit be deposited into the Budget Stabilization Fund.[1]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title would have been as follows:[1]
| “ | Do you support an amendment to cap the annual growth of the expenditure limit, to change the use of money in excess of the expenditure limit, and to allow the legislature to establish in law the method of determining the expenditure limit? (Amends Article VII, Section 10(C)(1) and (2), Repeals Article VII, Section 10.3(A)(1))[2] | ” |
Constitutional changes
- See also: Article VII, Louisiana Constitution
The measure would have amended Section 10(C)(1) and (2) of Article VII and repealed Section 10.3(A)(1) of Article VII of the Louisiana Constitution. The following underlined text would have been added and struck-through text would have been deleted:[1]
Note: Hover over the text and scroll to see the full text.
Section 10(C)(1) and (2) of Article VII of Louisiana Constitution
(C) Expenditure Limit. (1) The legislature shall provide for the determination of an expenditure limit for each fiscal year to be established during the first quarter of the calendar year for the next fiscal year. However, the expenditure limit for the 1991-1992 Fiscal Year shall be the actual appropriations from the state general fund and dedicated funds for that year except funds allocated by Article VII, Section 4, Paragraphs (D) and (E). For subsequent fiscal years, the limit shall not exceed the expenditure limit for the current fiscal year plus an amount equal to that limit times multiplied by a positive growth factor. The growth factor is the average annual percentage rate of change of personal income for Louisiana as defined and reported by the United States Department of Commerce for the three calendar years prior to the fiscal year for which the limit is calculated legislature by law shall establish a procedure to determine the growth factor, which shall not exceed six percent. Any law establishing a procedure to determine the growth factor, once enacted, shall not be changed except by specific legislative instrument which received a favorable vote of two-thirds of the elected members of each house of the legislature.
(2) The expenditure limit may be changed in any fiscal year by a favorable vote of two-thirds of the elected members of each house. Any If the legislature is in session, any such change in the expenditure limit shall be approved by passage of a specific legislative instrument which clearly states the intent to change the limit. If the legislature is not in session, the two-thirds requirement may be satisfied upon obtaining written consent of two-thirds of the elected members of each house in a manner provided by law.
Section 10.3(A)(1) of Article VII of Louisiana Constitution
(1) All money available for appropriation from the state general fund and dedicated funds in excess of the expenditure limit, except funds allocated by Article VII, Section 4, Paragraphs (D) and (E), shall be deposited in the fund.[2]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Louisiana Constitution
In Louisiana, a two-thirds vote in both chambers of the Louisiana State Legislature during one legislative session is required to refer a constitutional amendment to the ballot. Louisiana is one of 16 states that require a two-thirds supermajority in each chamber of the legislature.
Rep. Taylor Barras (R-48) introduced the constitutional amendment into the state legislature as House Bill 15 (HB 15) on February 16, 2018. On March 4, 2018, the Louisiana House of Representatives approved the bill 75 to 28 with one member not voting. HB 15 received the support of all House Republicans, 32 percent of House Democrats, and two of three House independants.[3] The bill did not pass the state Senate.
| Vote in the Louisiana House of Representatives | |||
| Requirement: Two-thirds (66.67 percent) vote of all members in each chamber | |||
Number of yes votes required: 70  | |||
| Yes | No | Not voting | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 75 | 28 | 1 |
| Total percent | 72.12% | 26.92% | 00.96% |
| Democrat | 13 | 27 | 1 |
| Republican | 60 | 0 | 0 |
| Independent | 2 | 1 | 0 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Louisiana State Legislature, "House Bill 15," accessed March 5, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Louisiana State Legislature, "HB 15 Overview," accessed March 5, 2018
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State of Louisiana Baton Rouge (capital) |
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