This story was originally published by Louisiana Illuminator
Some state lawmakers are pondering another effort to rewrite the Louisiana Constitution, written in 1973 and amended 221 times since then. But as in years past, a lack of specific information about what will go into the new state charter could undermine the chances of current proposals to convene a constitutional convention.
The Louisiana House and Governmental Affairs Committee advanced two bills Wednesday that each establish a loose framework for selecting and summoning delegates for a constitutional overhaul.
A proposal by Rep. Kyle Green Jr., D-Marerro, calls for 144 delegates, one from each state House and Senate district, to take part in drafting a new constitution. It doesn’t specify how they would be chosen or when they would start their work. The draft document they create would need ratification from three-fourths of Louisiana parishes to become the updated law of the land.
Beyond those parameters, Green’s bill does not delve into much detail about what would go into the document, which he appeared to acknowledge in his pitch to the committee.
“I think we all acknowledge that our constitution of 1974 is antiquated, outdated and probably needs to be completely revised,” Green said. “I think the questions or concerns that many have is the devil we don’t know.”
Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge, is the author of another advancing bill, and it provides a specific timeline for holding the convention and putting a new constitution into effect.
Its delegate makeup is also different, with McMakin calling the process with 144 participants in Green’s bill “unflexible.” Instead, he wants two delegates elected from each state Senate district, one each elected from the five Louisiana Public Service Commission districts and 10 appointed by the governor for a total of 93.
The McMakin bill includes a spring 2028 election date for delegates to be chosen, and they would work on constitutional revisions from April 10 through Oct. 15 that year. Their draft would go before voters Dec. 16 and, if approved, go into effect Jan. 1, 2029.
As for the contents of a new constitution, McMakin said state lawmakers would help set up a framework in their “offseason,” ostensibly between summer 2027 and spring 2028.
That wasn’t near enough detail for Woody Jenkins, a Republican former state lawmaker and one of original helmsman of the ultra-conservative movement in Louisiana. In testimony before the committee, he noted the schedule and delegate makeup in McMakin’s bill had only been made public moments earlier in an amendment to his original proposal.
Jenkins said the process does not lend itself to building the trust of Louisiana citizens. He suggested “hundreds” of public meetings around the state are needed to provide input on the revisions, should citizens believe they are actually needed.
“You’re not reading the room, the room being this state,” he said.
Jenkins also said Gov. Jeff Landry did not make a constitutional convention part of his campaign platform when he ran in 2023, though as governor-elect he did have a “constitutional reform council” as part of his transition team.
After he became governor in January 2024, Landry urged lawmakers to set up a rewrite process starting that summer and went so far as to choose his 27 convention delegates. A bill heeding Landry’s wishes gained approval in the Louisiana House but failed to get a Senate committee hearing. Critics at the time said scant information on the governor’s agenda made them wary of supporting his call.
McMakin also authored a constitutional convention bill last year that cleared its first hearing but never saw the light of day in the House Appropriations Committee. His current bill heads to the same panel because it includes the expense of paying convention delegates $178 each day they meet.
Green’s bill doesn’t have any set costs tied to it yet and goes next to the House Committee on Civil Law on Procedure. If any amendments add expenses, it would need approval from the appropriations panel.