Louisiana lawmakers will return to the Capitol in Baton Rouge on March 11 to open the 2024 regular legislative season.

Lawmakers will debate a range of topics, from the state’s budget to education and insurance, working to pass new laws to send to Gov. Jeff Landry’s desk.

Here’s what you should know about the state Legislature, how laws are made, how to contact your lawmakers and more, according to the state constitution.

What is the Legislature and how does it work?

The Louisiana Legislature is made up of elected representatives in two chambers, the House and the Senate. They have the power to enact laws that govern the state and its residents.

The state’s constitution allows for 39 senators and 105 members of the House.

Both chambers are also allowed to elect leaders from among its members. The House elects a speaker of the House, while the Senate elects a president. Currently, Sen. Cameron Henry and Rep. Phillip DeVillier serve as the leaders of their respective chambers.

Louisiana’s Legislature meets every year annually for sessions.

Lawmakers meet for 85 days during even-numbered years, but only 60 days in odd numbered years. They have fewer days, 60 and 45, respectively, to conduct official legislative business. During odd-numbered years, lawmakers can only pass bills dealing with money matters. 

Lawmakers are also allowed to pass bills during special sessions, which can last no more than 30 days. These sessions are called by the governor or by the presiding leaders of both houses if a majority of the elected members of each house vote for it.

During a special session, legislators can only work on and pass bills related to certain topics included in a special session’s proclamation.

How are bills passed?

As some of you may remember from the classic Schoolhouse Rock video, “I’m Just a Bill,” the process for a bill to become a law is a long, arduous one. Most bills will die before they receive a vote by any members of a chamber.

Here are the steps a bill takes:

1. Drafting and filing

The first step of the life cycle of any bill is for a lawmaker (or lawmakers) in either the House or Senate to file a draft of the proposed legislation. That lawmaker is known as the bill’s author.

2. Committee

Next, lawmakers introduce the bill in the chamber it was filed and assign it to a committee. Committees have specific focuses, such as the House’s criminal justice committee, and they are responsible for debating on bills, calling for public testimony and making amendments.

The committee stage is where most bills die. A bill makes it out of committee if a majority of members approve it, with or without amendments, and send it to the full House or Senate for a vote.

3. Vote from the floor

Once it reaches the floor of either chamber, all members will have a chance to debate it and propose amendments before a full vote.

4. On to the next chamber

After a bill receives approval from a majority of lawmakers in a chamber, it moves to the opposite chamber and repeats the committee and vote process all over again.

If the bill makes it through the other side without any major changes, it heads to the governor’s desk.

If major amendments are made to the bill, it must first go to a conference committee made up of members of both houses to work out the changes before it heads to the governor’s desk.

5. The governor’s desk

Once a bill reaches the governor’s desk, the governor has three options. They can sign the bill into law, veto it or let it pass into law without signing it. If a bill is not signed or vetoed within a certain amount of time, it automatically becomes law.

If the governor vetoes a bill, lawmakers have the option to reconvene for a veto season and override the governor with a 2/3 majority vote by both chambers. If the veto is overturned, the bill becomes law.

All bills passed into law during the regular session go into effect on August 1, unless the bill has a different prescribed time after that date. During special sessions, bills passed into law go into effect 60 days after the session is adjourned, unless the law has another specified date.

How can I keep up with bills moving through the Legislature?

The Louisiana Legislature’s website has a bill lookup tool, allowing you to see what stage a filed bill is in, read the bill’s text and see recorded votes on it. You can search bills by their number, author, committee or summary.

You can also find out when the House and Senate are meeting and see committee agendas on each of the chamber’s websites. Both provide broadcasts for committees and full chamber votes.

The state Legislature has also created an app, LaLege, to make it easier to find information about lawmakers, bills, House and Senate schedules, and maps of the state Capitol.

Additionally, you can keep up with the lawmaking process by following the Times-Picayune | The Advocate’s state politics coverage in the paper or online. Our newsroom offers a political newsletter and desktop and mobile push alerts to keep readers up to date.

How can I be involved in the lawmaking process?

Lawmakers at the Capitol aren’t the only ones who take part in the process of creating new laws.

Lobbyists, advocacy groups and members of the public are all frequently involved in the lawmaking process.

Before a bill is proposed, you can get involved by contacting your lawmakers and asking them to propose bills on issues you care about. You can also contact an advocacy group to join their efforts, according to the Louisiana American Civil Liberties Union, a nonprofit human rights organization and advocacy group.

Another way to get involved in the legislative process is by testifying on bills during committee hearings. Anyone can provide their input to committee members during public testimony.

The Louisiana House of Representatives has a citizen’s guide to attending and giving your feedback during committee meetings.

During a committee meeting, you can register your support or opposition to a bill and let lawmakers know if you would like to testify. Sometimes, time limits are placed on testimony.

When giving public testimony, the Louisiana Developmental Disabilities Council, an advocacy group focused on supporting individuals with developmental disabilities, recommends writing your testimony, clearly stating your opinion on the bill and practicing ahead of time. They also recommend arriving early to the committee meeting and being prepared to wait a long time.

How to contact your lawmakers

If you want to contact your lawmaker about proposed legislation or any other needs, here are a few ways to do it.

But first, if you aren’t sure who represents you, you can do an address search on the Legislature’s website.

• Reach out to their office by phone, email or in person. The Legislature keeps a list of contact information for all Louisiana House and Senate lawmakers on their website. If you do want to meet with your lawmaker in-person, make an appointment first.

• Send mail addressed to your lawmaker directly to the state Capitol.

• Talk directly to a representative by calling (225-342-6945) or a senator by calling (225-342-2040).