Louisiana lawmakers have begun their eight-week Legislative Session, which will address many contentious issues such as guns, transgender rights, teacher raises, and the state's property insurance crisis. This session will be the last for Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards, and five things to watch are outlined below.
Republicans Flex Their Supermajority Muscles
State Representative Francis Thompson of Delhi recently switched from the Democrats to the Republican Party, giving Republicans a supermajority in the Legislature for the first time in Louisiana history. This move means Republicans can override any veto from Edwards with 70 votes in the House. Thompson's change may embolden Republicans to press their advantage in an election year, where posturing will be prevalent on both sides of the aisle.
Debate over Gender Identity Will Escalate
As in other states, the national debate over gender identity will be among the top culture wars issues in the Louisiana Legislature. Republican Rep. Dodie Horton of Haughton has brought back her bill to limit the discussion of gender and sexuality in classrooms. Republican Bossier City Rep. Raymond Crews has a measure to require school employees to use the names and pronouns of students on their birth certificates, while Republican Rep. Gabe Firment of Pollock is seeking to ban gender-affirming healthcare for minors. This divisive issue will likely dominate headlines.
Louisiana Republicans Poised to Expand Gun Rights
Lawmakers are poised to expand gun rights in Louisiana by allowing adults 18 and older to carry concealed handguns without permits or training as is currently required. This bill was cleared easily in the House last year before it stalled in the Senate following the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting, where a gunman killed 19 children and two adults. The current bill will be debated in the wake of the most recent school shooting in Nashville, where three children and three adults were killed last month. Louisiana is known as an "open carry" state, which means people can carry visible firearms without a permit or training.
Solving Louisiana's Property Insurance Crisis
Louisiana homeowners are currently paying more for their insurance than they are for their mortgage, which has caused a property insurance crisis in the state. Lawmakers passed an emergency bill during a February Special Session to provide $45 million in grant money to attract companies to write new property insurance along the state's hurricane-ravaged coastal corridor. However, long-term solutions need to be enacted, and one proposal with bipartisan support is a program that would provide grants of up to $10,000 for homeowners to hurricane-proof their roofs, called Fortify Louisiana. Multiple lawmakers have said they will advocate for at least $45 million to fund Fortify Louisiana. Republican state Rep. Jack McFarland, chairman of the House Conservative Caucus, has said, "If we can give $45 million to insurance companies that we aren't even sure will stay we can give $45 million to taxpayers to fortify their homes."
Teacher Raises Are Debated
Edwards has proposed a $2,000 pay raise for public school teachers, which he wants to increase to $3,000 if Louisiana's budget surplus grows as expected. However, Republicans are wary of making such a commitment without more local skin in the game and with a temporary state sales tax falling off the books in 2025. GOP Senator Bodi White of Baton Rouge, chair of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, and other Republicans could propose a smaller amount or approve a combination of a raise
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