Louisiana Timing of Fiscal Legislative Sessions Amendment (2015)

Not on Ballot
This measure was not put on an election ballot

A Louisiana Timing of Fiscal Legislative Sessions Amendment was not on the October 24, 2015 ballot in Louisiana as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment. With voter approval, the measure would have switched fiscal legislative sessions from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years and general legislative sessions from even-numbered years to odd-numbered years.

The current Louisiana Constitution requires that fiscal legislative sessions deal with the General Appropriation Bill, making appropriations, levying or authorizing new taxes, increasing existing taxes, authorizing, decreasing or repealing a fee, dedicating revenue, issuing bonds, or legislating tax exemptions, exclusions, deductions, reductions, repeals or credits. The content of fiscal legislative sessions would have remained the same under the proposed constitutional amendment. Only the years in which the sessions would take place would change.

General legislative sessions cannot address levying or authorizing new taxes, increasing existing taxes or legislating tax exemptions, exclusions, deductions, reductions, repeals or credits. Like fiscal sessions, the content of general legislative sessions would have remained the same under the amendment. Only the years in which the sessions would have taken place would have changed.

The measure was introduced into the Louisiana Legislature by Rep. Harold Ritchie (D-75) as House Bill 189.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The proposed ballot text was:

“

Do you support an amendment to change the convening of fiscal legislative sessions from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years and the convening of general legislative sessions from even-numbered years to odd-numbered years? (Amends Article III, Section 2(A)(3) and (4))

”

Constitutional changes

See also: Article III, Louisiana Constitution

The proposed amendment would have amended Section 2(A)(3) and (4) of Article III of the Louisiana Constitution. The following underlined text would have been added and struck-through text would have been deleted by the proposed measure's approval:

Amendment to Section 2(A)(3) and (4) of Article III of the Louisiana Constitution

§2. Sessions Section 2.(A) Annual Session. (3) (a) All regular sessions convening in even-numbered odd-numbered years shall be general in nature and shall convene at noon on the second Monday in March. The legislature shall meet in such a session for not more than sixty legislative days during a period of eighty-five calendar days. No such session shall continue beyond six o'clock in the evening of the eighty-fifth calendar day after convening. No new matter intended to have the effect of law shall be introduced or received by either house after six o'clock in the evening of the twenty-third calendar day. No matter intended to have the effect of law, except a measure proposing a suspension of law, shall be considered on third reading and final passage in either house after six o'clock in the evening of the fifty-seventh legislative day or the eighty-second calendar day, whichever occurs first, except by a favorable record vote of two-thirds of the elected members of each house. (b) No measure levying or authorizing a new tax by the state or by any statewide political subdivision whose boundaries are coterminous with the state; increasing an existing tax by the state or by any statewide political subdivision whose boundaries are coterminous with the state; or legislating with regard to tax exemptions, exclusions, deductions or credits, shall be introduced or enacted during a regular session held in an even-numbered odd-numbered year. (4) (a) All regular sessions convening in odd-numbered even-numbered years shall convene at noon on the second Monday in April. The legislature shall meet in such a session for not more than forty-five legislative days in a period of sixty calendar days. No such session shall continue beyond six o'clock in the evening of the sixtieth calendar day after convening. No new matter intended to have the effect of law shall be introduced or received by either house after six o'clock in the evening of the tenth calendar day. No matter intended to have the effect of law, except a measure proposing a suspension of law, shall be considered on third reading and final passage in either house after six o'clock in the evening of the forty-second legislative day or fifty-seventh calendar day, whichever occurs first, except by a favorable record vote of two-thirds of the elected members of each house. (b) During any session convening in an odd-numbered even-numbered year, no matter intended to have the effect of law, including any suspension of law, shall be introduced or considered unless its object is to enact the General Appropriation Bill; enact the comprehensive capital budget; make an appropriation; levy or authorize a new tax; increase an existing tax; levy, authorize, increase, decrease, or repeal a fee; dedicate revenue; legislate with regard to tax exemptions, exclusions, deductions, reductions, repeals, or credits; or legislate with regard to the issuance of bonds. In addition, a matter intended to have the effect of law, including a measure proposing a suspension of law, which is not within the subject matter restrictions provided in this Subparagraph may be considered at any such session if: (i) It is prefiled no later than the deadline provided in Subparagraph (2) of this Paragraph, provided that the member shall not prefile more than five such matters pursuant to this Subsubparagraph; or (ii) Its object is to enact a local or special law which is required to be and has been advertised in accordance with Section 13 of this Article and which is not prohibited by the provisions of Section 12 of this Article.

Path to the ballot

See also: Amending the Louisiana Constitution

The proposed constitutional amendment was filed by Rep. Harold Ritchie (D-75) as House Bill 189 on March 30, 2015.

The measure needs to be approved through a two-thirds vote in both legislative chambers to be placed on the ballot. Louisiana is one of sixteen states that require a two-thirds supermajority.

On May 13, 2015, the Louisiana House of Representatives approved the amendment, with 76 representatives voting "yea" and 15 voting "nay."

See also

Suggest a link

• 2015 ballot measures
• Louisiana 2015 ballot measures
• Louisiana Legislature

External links

• House Bill 189