Louisiana lawmakers are considering a slew of draconian, ham-fisted measures that, if passed into law, would eviscerate some of the most fundamental rights of citizens and local governments. Some would reduce or even eliminate citizens’ access to public records; others would impair local governments’ ability to regulate short-term rentals; and still others would weaken basic human rights or threaten the safety of transgender and gender-nonconforming Louisianans.
Many of these bills were filed just before the April 2 deadline for introducing legislation in the current annual session. Most have yet to receive significant citizen or media attention. That’s likely the point: Gov. Jeff Landry seems intent on getting lawmakers to pass bad bills by giving them as little time as possible to consider all potential ramifications.
Here are some of the worst measures:
• Covington Republican Rep. Mark Wright’s House Bill 906, introduced on the April 2 deadline, would dramatically rewrite the state’s campaign finance laws by allowing political oligarchs to dump more money than ever to elect favored state and local officials. HB 906 would more than double — in some cases triple or even quadruple — individual and organizational contribution limits. Worse yet, it would make it more difficult than ever for whistleblowers to expose — and for citizens to learn about — campaign finance law violations.
Those changes would dramatically increase the influence of Louisiana’s already powerful monied interests. For example, Wright’s bill would hike political action committees’ contribution limits from $5,000 to $20,000 and remove all limits on contributions to often-sketchy “independent expenditure” committees that support or oppose candidates. The bill also would increase the individual limit on contributions to gubernatorial transition and inaugural committees from $5,000 to $25,000.
Wright’s bill would put a giant “For Sale” sign on the Capitol, parish courthouses and city halls across Louisiana and obliterate the notion of government of, by and for the people.
• Turkey Creek Republican Sen. Heather Cloud introduced Senate Bill 482 on April 2. As Gambit’s Clancy DuBos put it, Cloud’s bill "revives and injects with steroids former Gov. Bobby Jindal’s Orwellian ‘deliberative process’ gubernatorial records exception.” Instead of giving the governor alone a purposely vague and overly broad “deliberative process” exception to Louisiana’s Public Records Law, Cloud’s bill would cloak every level of government in secrecy. Records ranging from routine budget drafts and inter-agency memos to university officials’ efforts to cover up sexual abuse by athletes and Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s lavish travel arrangements would never come to light.
It’s been said that democracy dies in the dark. SB 482 would usher in Louisiana’s Dark Ages.
• Shreveport Republican Sen. Thomas Pressly pre-filed SB 237, which aims to stem a proliferation of unregulated hemp-derived THC products. Pressly’s bill, which is set for Senate consideration on Monday, April 15, would effectively ban the sale of all THC-infused gummies, tinctures and soft drinks.
While the industry needs better regulation and oversight, Pressly’s bill takes a chainsaw to a problem that calls for a scalpel. Light or moderate forms of THC-infused products are not inherently dangerous. There’s no evidence of widespread illness, addiction or deaths associated with them, nor of harmful product-contamination incidents in Louisiana.
The hemp industry has blossomed in Louisiana over the last five years, with millions of dollars invested in a growing business sector that has created new jobs — including here in New Orleans. What’s needed are reasonable health and safety standards and specific point-of-sale age restrictions, not a job-killing ban.
• Marrero Democratic Rep. Rodney Lyons’ HB 591 would prohibit all local governments — including cities like New Orleans — from regulating short-term rental (STR) operators. New Orleans has spent years writing and rewriting STR regulations, the latest version of which recently survived a constitutional challenge in federal court. National STR companies for years have ignored local regulations and run roughshod over vulnerable communities and cultures. Now that they have failed to annul New Orleans’ regulations, they want the state to let them go back to ruining historic, and too often historically Black, neighborhoods. Instead of prohibiting local regulation, the state should let the New Orleans model serve as a template for other local governments to write reasonable, constitutional rules for STRs.
• Denham Springs Republican Rep. Roger Wilder’s anti-trans bill, HB 608, is quickly moving through the House. The so-called “bathroom bill” attacks the basic human rights and dignity of transgender Louisianans and could put trans and gender-nonconforming kids and adults in physical danger. HB 608 would also put millions of dollars in critical federal funding at risk — and cost Louisiana hundreds of millions of dollars in convention and tourism business every year.
None of these bills will make Louisiana a better, safer place to live. Some would do the opposite. They also don’t address emergencies that require quick legislative action. Lawmakers should reject all such measures, particularly amid efforts to rush them through to passage without adequate time for public debate and citizen input.
Given Gov. Landry’s push for early adjournment, time is of the essence. We urge our readers to call and email their representatives and senators immediately. Tell them to vote against these and all similar measures.
To find your state representative and senator, go to legis.la.gov. A list of representatives and their emails can be found here. A list of state senators can be found here.
You can call or email their local offices anytime, and during afternoon sessions, you can call the House switchboard at (225) 342-6945 or the Senate switchboard at (225) 342-2040 and ask for your legislator by name.
