Image

Explaining the Constitutional Amendments

Since the dawn of civilization, people have looked to their political officials and asked; What, exactly, is it that you do? While this guide might not answer every one of your questions about what, exactly, your elected officials are responsible for, it will (we hope) give you some clarity on the various offices that are supposed to represent your interests at the state and local level, and the responsibilities that are supposed to go with those offices.

One of the core principles of the Power Coalition’s People’s Agenda is “Fiscal Fairness”--the idea that the state shouldn’t balance its budget on the backs of working families. We urge you to vote ‘No’ on Amendments 4, 5 & 7 because they violate that principle.

Amendment 4 places an artificial cap on state spending. Amendment 5 would limit local control of the Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP), which is a program that provides corporate tax giveaways at the expense of public education and other critical services. Amendment 7 would take a source of funding away from the Louisiana General Fund.

Governor
 As the head of the executive branch, the Governor is the highest state office in Louisiana. Elected every four years, and limited to two consecutive terms, the Governor leads the Governor’s office and all departments therein.

Responsibilities
Maybe the most notable part of the Governor’s job is signing legislation into law or vetoing legislation. But the Governor also submits a proposed budget to the legislature (which serves as a statement of principles, i.e., a set of priorities), and he or she can create executive orders that impact state policy.

The Governor also appointments and removes people to and from appointed positions, makes an address at the beginning of regular legislative sessions, serves as Commander in Chief of all the armed forces of the state, and is able to declare states of emergency.
Lieutenant Governor
Although the Lieutenant Governor is officially second-in-command of the executive branch, the office doesn’t come with a lot of responsibilities in terms of policy. The office is up for election every four years.

Responsibilities
While serving as the commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism, most of the Lieutenant Governor’s work comes in promoting Louisiana to the rest of the country and the world. They also take on other duties as assigned by the Governor, and stand in as Governor in the event of a vacancy or if the current Governor is out of state.
Secretary of State
As the chief election officer of Louisiana, the Secretary of State oversees several administrative and archival duties, including acting as the state’s head election officer, overseer of state archives, manager of business registration in the state, keeper of the great seal of the state of Louisiana and, finally, the overseer of several state museums.

Responsibilities
That’s a lot of responsibilities for one office, but the Secretary of State is probably best known as the head election officer for Louisiana. That means they are responsible for qualifying certain candidates, preparing and certifying ballots for all elections in the state, tabulating, and verifying election results. They are also central to the effort to maintain the integrity and security of Louisiana’s voting system.

The Secretary of State also administers election laws, except for those regarding voter registration and custody of voting machines, and is responsible for the proper and lawful regulation and registration of businesses in Louisiana.

Proposed Constitutional Amendment 1

Do you support an amendment declaring that the right to abortion, and funding for abortion, shall not be included in the Louisiana Constitution?

‘Yes’ supports stating that nothing in the Louisiana Constitution protects a right to abortion

‘No’ would leave specific abortion-related language out of the Louisiana Constitution

Proposed Constitutional Amendment 2

Do you support an amendment to allow an oil or gas well’s productivity to be factored into the overall value for property tax assessments, which would allow parish assessors to raise taxes on productive wells and lower them on less productive operations?

‘Yes’ allows an oil & gas well’s production to be used when valuing it for property tax assessment

‘No’ would keep in place the current methods of assessing property taxes on oil and gas wells

Proposed Constitutional Amendment 3

Do you support an amendment to allow the Budget Stabilization Fund (aka, the Rainy Day Fund) to be used for state costs associated with a federally declared disaster?

‘Yes’ would allow Louisiana’s Rainy Day Fund to be tapped when there is a federally declared disaster.

‘No’ would continue to allow the Rainy Day Fund to only be used to cover revenue shortfalls

Proposed Constitutional Amendment 4

Do you support an amendment that would artificially limit the growth of the State General Fund?

‘Yes’ would create an artificial new spending limit for the state budget

‘No’ would keep in place the current method for limiting expenditures

Proposed Constitutional Amendment 5

Do you support an amendment to limit local government control of Louisiana’s Industrial Tax Exemption program (ITEP)?

‘Yes’ would give manufacturers a new option for lowering their local property taxes

‘No’ would leave the current system in place

Proposed Constitutional Amendment 6

Do you support an amendment to increase the income threshold to qualify for the Homestead Exemption for residential property owned by seniors, certain military members, and disabled persons from $50,000 (adjusted annually for inflation since 2001) to $100,000 per year beginning in 2026 (adjusted annually for inflation)?

‘Yes’ would qualify homeowners with higher incomes for the Homestead Exemption

‘No’ would keep the current threshold in place

Proposed Constitutional Amendment 7

Do you support an amendment to create the Louisiana Unclaimed Property Permanent Trust Fund to allow the state Treasury Department to keep the money that remains unclaimed by its owner or owners, instead of sending unclaimed money to the state general fund?

‘Yes’ would put unclaimed property money into a new trust fund

‘No’ would continue to put that money toward the state general fund

Proposition to Allow Sports Betting by Parish

Each parish will get to vote on whether to allow sports betting within its borders.

‘Yes’ would allow sports betting in a parish

‘No’ would continue to outlaw sports betting in a parish

Attorney General
The Attorney General serves a four-year term, is the chief legal officer of the state, and is the head of the Louisiana Department of Justice.

Responsibilities
The office of the Attorney General manages hundreds of lawyers within the state and provides legal representation to the state. It also enforces state law, ensures that the state itself is following state and federal laws, and is in compliance with federal law, and conducts public education programs.
State Treasurer
The State Treasurer serves as the chief custodian of the state’s Treasury and is the state’s head banker. The Treasurer serves a four-year term.

Responsibilities
The Treasurer receives and deposits state monies, manages investments, and keeps track of budget surpluses and deficits, and must ensure that the state has enough money to pay all of its bills on time.

The Treasurer is also the head of the Treasury Department, which serves as the “central bank” of Louisiana and is where public money for state government is deposited and withdrawn. Additional duties include leading the State Bond Commission and overseeing the Unclaimed Property Division of the Treasury, which is responsible for returning lost money to its rightful owner.
Commissioner of Insurance
The Commissioner of Insurance is the head of the Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI), and is elected every four years. The LDI contains the Office of Consumer Advocacy and the Division of Diversity & Opportunity, and is made up of the following boards and commissions: Louisiana Health Care Commission, Louisiana Property & Casualty Commission, Louisiana Auto Theft & Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority.

Responsibilities
The LDI regulates the insurance industry according to state law, educates consumers, and advocates for consumer protections. It also reports to the state legislature, which can affect the insurance industry and, in turn, consumers. Another important role of this agency is running the Senior Health Insurance Information Program, which helps senior citizens better understand Medicare coverage options and benefits to make more informed decisions.

You can go to the LDI website to lodge consumer complaints, and they publish resources and updates for consumers.
Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry
The Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry leads the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. The Commissioner is elected every four years and is not subject to term limits.

Responsibilities
The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry is responsible for administering the programs and enforcing the regulations that impact every aspect of the state’s agriculture and forestry, including agricultural chemistry programs, horticulture programs, pesticide and environmental programs, conservation, seed programs, animal health, food safety, forestry, and medical marijuana.

These programs are intended to ensure food safety in Louisiana and that the environment remains suitable for continued growth of the state’s economy.
BESE--Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
BESE is made up of 11 members, eight are elected from the BESE districts, and the other three are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the State Senate. BESE members elect a president, vice president, and secretary-treasurer from its membership.

The members are also divided into four separate committees: Administration and Finance, Educator Effectiveness, Academic Goals and Instructional Improvement, School Innovation and Turnaround. Each committee considers issues within its specific subject area and then makes recommendations to the Board as a whole.

Responsibilities BESE has the responsibility for governing all Louisiana elementary and secondary schools; special schools for the deaf, blind, and physically handicapped; and educational units within the state’s correctional institutions and mental facilities. There are also Task Forces/Commissions and Advisory Councils within BESE.

BESE has the authority to create policies that govern the statewide operations of public and non-public schools, to administer the budget for educational programs and services at those schools, and to conduct administrative hearings to resolve any conflict concerning its policies and actions. Some of the many specifically defined duties assigned to this board by law include approval of certification requirements, policies for assessment and evaluation of teachers, administrators and students, approval of textbooks, and administering the state’s charter school program.
State Senator
Your State Senator is elected by voters in your senate district to represent that district in the state legislature. There are 39 senators in the Louisiana legislature, and each senate district contains an average of approximately 116,000 people. Elections to the Senate occur every four years, and senators are limited three four-year terms (12 years).

Responsibilities The primary duties of a state senator are creating, debating, and voting on legislation that either makes new laws or modifies existing ones. Legislation must be approved by the Senate, as well as the House of Representatives, before being signed into law by the Governor.

The laws either created or modified by the state legislature are an important addition to the laws that must be followed at the local level as well as at the federal level.
State Representative
Your State Representative is elected by voters in your district to represent the district in the state legislature. There are 105 representatives in the Louisiana legislature, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people. Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of three terms (total 12 years).

Responsibilities
Primary duties of a State Representative are creating, debating, and voting on legislation that either makes new laws or modifies existing ones. Legislation must be approved by the State House of Representatives, as well as the State Senate, before being signed into law by the Governor of the state.

The laws either created or modified by the state legislature are an important addition to the laws that must be followed at the local level as well as at the federal level.
Sheriff
The Sheriff’s office in your parish provides law enforcement, detention, court security, and homeland security services within that parish. It also enforces state law within the parish and maintains the parish prison.

The Sheriff has an influential role in providing a fair and responsible police force that citizens can rely on to provide equitable justice regardless of our individual characteristics (such as race, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity).