Jim Beam’s Column: Constitution Plan Revived – American Press

Column by Jim Beam: Constitution Plan Revived

Published 07:02 am Saturday, July 20, 2024

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, some state officials and lawmakers and a top GOP campaign worker are refusing to accept the message that Louisiana voters aren’t interested in anyone rushing to write a state constitution.

Lawmakers gave Landry too many powers during their three sessions earlier this year, one of which allowed him to appoint the next president of Northwestern State University in Natchitoches.

The House of Representatives voted 75-27 to hold a limited constitutional convention, but the bill died in the Senate. Everyone knew that this might not be the last attempt at a convention, but they certainly did not believe that Lane Grigsby would be the driving force.

The Advocate describes Grigsby as “a Republican megadonor and perhaps the strongest proponent of such a convention.” Grigsby sent documents to lawmakers with proposed changes to the constitution, some in different colors.

Gambit political editor Clancy DuBos, writing in a column in The Advocate, didn’t mince words about what Landry and Grigsby are up to. He said that Landry and Grigsby “have not given up on their goal of shoving a major constitutional amendment down the throats of Louisiana lawmakers and citizens between now and Nov. 5.”

The newspaper said Grigsby played a key role in the election of Landry and a right-wing legislature last year. He also chaired Landry’s transition committee at a constitutional convention and is the main (if not sole) architect of the proposed changes.

The first sign that voters are not interested in rewriting the Constitution came when Richard Nelson, the current Undersecretary of the Treasury, ran for governor last year.

Nelson wanted to change the estate tax exemption, which has become a sacrosanct property tax break. He also wanted to pass a number of other constitutional amendments, but his campaign never caught on. So he dropped out of the race and endorsed Landry.

Once he became secretary of revenue, Nelson had other ideas. He talked about eliminating tax exemptions, taxing digital goods that consumers buy online, expanding the list of services taxed in Louisiana, and cutting state and corporate taxes.

To accomplish that, Nelson called for a special legislative session in August to rewrite Article VII, which governs fiscal policy.

Sen. Franklin Foil, Republican of Baton Rouge, who has introduced many bills before the constitutional convention in recent years, said he thinks Nelson may have changed some minds.

Well, he didn’t change Grigsby’s mind. Grigsby wants to make much broader changes to the current state constitution, including changes to the judiciary and education. Grigsby, like Landry, is a big supporter of school choice, and they’re looking for some state money to give parents the choice of where to send their children to school.

During debate on the constitutional amendment bill that failed in the Senate, the homeownership exemption came up again, along with additional payment for emergency responders in the state.

Landry and others said that nothing would change on those issues, but it soon became clear to everyone that anything can be considered during a constitutional congress.

Landry and Grigsby’s rush to write a new constitution is also frightening to many people. As DuBos said, “It deliberately gives voters virtually no input and little time to study the proposed changes.”

“The entire plan is a ruse and an insult to lawmakers and citizens,” DuBos said.

Delegates to the convention that wrote the current constitution studied the plan for nearly two years, and the new document was not popular with voters. It was rejected in the parishes of Southwest Louisiana.

The late Governor Edwin W. Edwards held a constitutional convention in 1992 that failed miserably. It too was devoted to Article VII of the Constitution.

Edwards did not endorse lawmakers as representatives, as Landry wants, but lawmakers ignored him. So Edwards said he was not surprised when 62% of voters rejected the constitutional amendments.

The defeat, Edwards said, “suggests that people agree with me — they felt the Congress was a pointless endeavor.”

Chances are that voters will also reject any changes that Landry, Grigsby and others might come up with. Voters are a suspicious bunch.

Jim Straalthe retired editor of the American presshas been writing about people and politics for more than six decades. Contact him at 337-515-8871 or [email protected].

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