If Louisiana citizens are lucky, members of their Legislature will spend much less time in Baton Rouge in 2025 than they did in 2024. In addition to their long regular session, they held three special sessions.

As if that wasn’t enough, lawmakers created a record number of special committees that held meetings at the Capitol when they weren’t in session.

The January 15-19 special session was called to create a second majority-Black congressional district ordered by federal courts but Republican Gov. Jeff Landry had other plans. He wanted to end Louisiana voting in open primaries. Fortunately, he didn’t get everything he wanted.

Landry supporters did want to punish U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, for supporting someone else for governor and they were successful. Graves’ 6^th Congressional District became the second majority-Black district.

The new district also — for the first time — split Calcasieu Parish into the 3^rd and 4^th Congressional Districts. The last time that was tried was when Buddy Roemer was governor, and he kept lawmakers from splitting the parish.

Members of the Legislature who were elected in open primaries rejected Landry’s goal of ending open primaries altogether. The final bill said only elections for Congress, the state Supreme Court, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Louisiana Public Service Commission would be closed primaries.

Closed primaries are for political party members only, but the final bill said voters not affiliated with any party could vote in one of the recognized party primaries.

Elections for statewide elected officials, legislators and local and other offices will continue to use the open primary where everybody runs together that has been in use since 1975.

The second special session from February 19-29 on crime gave Landry everything he wanted and more. The headline bills were those dealing with methods of execution for the 56 prisoners on death row and giving those 18 and older the right to carry concealed weapons without a state permit and training.

Other bills that were approved virtually guarantee that anyone who ends up in prison could be there a long time. One act changes the parole system and another act places more 17-year-olds in adult prisons.

I said we were safe in early June when members of the Legislature who had been in session almost constantly since they took office had finally gone home from their regular session (March 11-June 3). However, it gave Landry new powers he didn’t need — like control of the ethics board — and there is less government transparency.

Both the House and Senate voted to allow Landry to appoint the chairs of more than 150 boards and commissions, including chairs of the five higher education boards. The governor used that power to name a justice of the supreme court as the new president of Northwestern State University in Natchitoches.

The governor wanted lawmakers to call a constitutional convention, but that was his big loss. Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, who has become the voice of reason in the Legislature, explained why.

“Members aren’t really jumping at the chance to come back to Baton Rouge,” he said. Henry said they receive only part-time pay and wanted to  return to their higher-paying jobs and families at home.

The third special session on tax reform (Nov. 6-22) created a flat 3% individual income tax and a flat 5.5% corporate income tax. It also increased the state sales tax from 4.45% to 5% in order to raise revenues lost by reducing income taxes. Those changes take place today.

Teachers will get a $2,000 permanent pay increase and support workers a $1,000 permanent increase if voters approve a constitutional amendment on March 29 that rewrites Article VII (the finance part) of the state constitution.

The 115-page proposed amendment eliminates three education trust funds and the money will be used to help finance the education pay increases if voters approve that amendment.

Although The Advocate said Landry didn’t get everything he wanted out of four legislative sessions in 2024, the newspaper explained why it named him its first Louisianan of the Year:

“Even so, Landry has cut a towering figure over Louisiana since he took office in January. And it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down any time soon,”

Henry was a finalist for that award. The Advocate said it has watched Henry evolve into a mature, effective leader and others regard him as an honest, fair-minded broker.

Jim Beam, the retired editor of the American Press, has covered people and politics for more than six decades. Contact him at 337-515-8871 or jim.beam.press@gmail.com.

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