Louisiana

Slow down the con-con train • Louisiana Illuminator

Published

2 years ago

April 21, 2024

Slow down the con-con train • Louisiana Illuminator

This weekend marks 50 years since Louisiana voters ratified the 1974 state constitution. If Gov. Jeff Landry and his financial backers have their way, it might also be the last time we can celebrate the anniversary of our state’s foundational charter.

With three whole months of governing under his belt, Landry is demanding that state legislators, along with 27 of his hand-picked appointees, convene for a constitutional convention that could have a generational impact on how children are educated, our coast is protected, the taxes we pay and the rights that all Louisianans enjoy.

He wants all of this accomplished in just two weeks – from May 20 to June 3 – and to happen at the same time that the Legislature is wrapping up its work on hundreds of other bills moving through the process.

This rushed convention proposal is a grotesque overreach that doesn’t give ordinary citizens nearly enough time, information or input into what is being done in their name.

The constitutional convention should come as a big surprise to anyone who followed Landry’s campaign for office last fall. Backed by big-money donors and the endorsement of Donald Trump, Landry ran as a genial Cajun who hates crime, loves fossil fuel extraction and would move the state in a more conservative direction.

He barely mentioned the constitution during the fall campaign. And the governor still hasn’t said what he actually wants to change about the state’s founding charter – or why it has to be changed before June 3.

Landry’s legislative allies have tried to allay fears by claiming they simply want to shrink the constitution by taking things out and putting them into law, where they can be changed more easily by a simple vote of the Legislature. They promise a limited convention that will focus on rewriting the articles that govern taxes and spending.

Once lawmakers convene a constitutional convention, however, anything and everything could be on the table for debate. The stakes are pretty major.

The constitution ensures that the state sales tax can’t apply to prescription drugs, groceries and home utilities. The constitution safeguards funding for coastal protection and restoration, so the Legislature can’t raid those funds when there’s a budget crunch. It protects the retirement security of teachers, school bus drivers and other public employees, who don’t pay into the Social Security system and rely on their public pensions to sustain them in retirement.

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The constitution protects funding for public schools, and ensures that state dollars are distributed fairly among school districts through the Minimum Foundation Program formula so that politicians don’t get to divide or divert the money. It protects Medicaid dollars that flow to hospitals and nursing homes, and salary stipends for police, firefighters and other local first responders.

The constitution protects the homestead exemption, which keeps the first $75,000 of your home’s value from being subject to property taxes.

All of these protections could be on the table. Removing these protections from the constitution and placing them in statute makes them vulnerable to change. All it would take to tax your prescriptions, or remove the homestead exemption, is a vote of the Legislature.

The last time Louisiana’s constitution was rewritten was in 1973, and it was a much longer, more orderly and transparent process. Edwin Edwards had just been elected governor, and called for a constitutional convention during his campaign. The Legislature made sure the voters had a voice, passing a bill that called for the election of 105 delegates – one from each House district – in the 1972 elections (the governor, then as now, had 27 appointments).

The convention itself lasted a whole year – from January 1973 to January 1974 – with delegates sometimes meeting five days a week. Landry, by contrast, wants all this business wrapped up in just TWO weeks, starting May 20.

No one would dispute that our constitution has grown long and complex in the last 50 years. The Public Affairs Research Council tells us it’s the fourth-largest constitution in the country – at more than 77,000 words. It’s been amended 216 times in the past 49 years. There is something in there for everyone to hate.

But each of those amendments is there for a very good reason: At some point during the last half century, two-thirds of the House and Senate, and a majority of Louisiana voters, decided that it was worth putting in the state constitution.

People can disagree on whether the constitution should be overhauled – which provisions should stay and what should go. But a process this important shouldn’t be rushed through in two weeks, with no election mandate and no opportunity for the public to weigh in by picking delegates. An undertaking this important deserves at least as much time, scrutiny and public input as the last time.

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Louisiana

Schumer demands congressional brief on Iran; Louisiana delegation weighs in on attack

Published

51 minutes ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Schumer demands congressional brief on Iran; Louisiana delegation weighs in on attack

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) demanded a congressional briefing from President Trump’s administration Saturday (Feb. 28), hours after the U.S. military joined Israel in launching airstrikes against Iran.

“When I talked to Secretary (of State Marco) Rubio, I implored him to be straight with Congress and the American people about the objectives of these strikes and what comes next,” Schumer said in a statement. “Iran must never be allowed to attain a nuclear weapon, but the American people do not want another endless and costly war in the Middle East when there are so many problems at home.

“The administration has not provided Congress and the American people with critical details about the scope and immediacy of the threat. Confronting Iran’s malign regional activities, nuclear ambitions and harsh oppression of the Iranian people demands American strength, resolve, regional coordination and strategic clarity. Unfortunately, President Trump’s fitful cycles of lashing out and risking wider conflict are not a viable strategy.

“The administration must brief Congress — including an immediate all-senators classified briefing — and in public testimony to answer these vital questions. The Senate should quickly return to session and reassert its constitutional duty by passing our resolution to enforce the War Powers Act. My prayers are with our brave American servicemembers.”

Meanwhile, reaction to the attack from Louisiana’s congressional delegation appeared to break predictably among party lines.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) posted to X that the attack “is yet another move by President Trump to protect the United States and sends a message to the world: Never doubt America’s resolve or capacity to defend its interests.”

For years, the Iranian Regime has chanted “Death to America,” targeted our troops, weaponized their terrorist proxies, and killed tens of thousands of innocent people, including Americans. Today, President Trump made it clear: their reign of terror is over.
The President has…
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) February 28, 2026

Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.) of New Orleans, however, said he was “deeply concerned” about the attack and said, “The American people deserve to understand the objectives, the risks and the path forward.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) wrote, “The President’s decision to attack Iran presumably was based upon a clear and present danger to the United States, and a planned execution that does not put the United States in a forever war.”

The President’s decision to attack Iran presumably was based upon a clear and present danger to the United States, and a planned execution that does not put the United States in a forever war. We pray for the safety and success of our servicemen and servicewomen.
— U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (@SenBillCassidy) February 28, 2026

Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.), who is mounting a primary challenge for Cassidy’s U.S. Senate seat, also endorsed Trump’s decision to attack Tehran.

Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism and actively plots to kill Americans. President Trump’s decisive strikes send a message that America will not tolerate Iran’s threats to our national security. May God bless our troops and keep them safe as we confront radical… https://t.co/P5IVxiBi2p
— Congresswoman Julia Letlow (@RepJuliaLetlow) February 28, 2026

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) also backed Trump’s military action, writing that Iran was “facing the severe consequences of its evil actions.”

Today, Iran is facing the severe consequences of its evil actions. President Trump and the Administration have made every effort to pursue peaceful and diplomatic solutions in response to the Iranian regime’s sustained nuclear ambitions and development, terrorism, and the murder… https://t.co/G5XPELtAmX
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) February 28, 2026

Democratic Rep. Cleo Field expressed reservations that Trump had not made a case for the attack to Congress or the American people.

This morning, the United States, in coordination with Israel, launched strikes against Iran — a significant military action with serious consequences for our national security.
While I understand the gravity of the threat, the process here cannot be ignored. The War Powers Act…
— Congressman Cleo Fields (@RepFields) February 28, 2026

Republican Sen. John Kennedy had not yet posted reactions to the Iran attack — dubbed by the Pentagon as “Operation Epic Fury” — on social media or sent statements to the news media.

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No. Southern Miss Handily Defeats Louisiana Tech in Series Opener

Published

13 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

No. Southern Miss Handily Defeats Louisiana Tech in Series Opener

USM LaTech — J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park – aka, “The Love Shack” / latechsports.com

USM — J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park – aka, “The Love Shack” / latechsports.com

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Louisiana bill would impose tougher penalties for operating unlicensed gambling websites

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

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Louisiana bill would impose tougher penalties for operating unlicensed gambling websites

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New legislation in Baton Rouge would reclassify some illegal gaming-related offenses as racketeering law violations, elevating potential consequences.

Louisiana has already stepped up its enforcement of its gaming laws related to potential illegal gaming but a new bill in the state legislature would give prosecutors’ actions more teeth. The proposal would elevate certain crimes involving unlicensed gaming in the state to a racketeering charge with more severe penalties linked to convictions.

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Louisiana bill changes classification of gaming-related charges

Louisiana Rep. Bryan Fontenot has pre-filed HB 53, which could rewrite the state code as it pertains to unlicensed gaming sites. The legislation has been provisionally assigned to the House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice, as the 2026 session does not begin until March 9.

Under the proposal, the state’s definition of racketeering would expand to include “gambling, gambling by computer, gambling on cockfights, gambling by electronic sweepstakes, unlawful wagering, and bribery of sports participants.” Under current statutes, racketeering convictions carry penalties of fines of “not more than one million dollars, or imprisoned at hard labor for not more than 50 years, or both.”

Additionally, racketeering convictions that result in sentences of fines of at least $10,000 revoke recipients’ eligibility for parole. The enactment of this bill as currently composed could have a significant impact on the operation of sweepstakes-based online casino sites for real money in Louisiana.

At the same time, many of the companies in that space have already ceased potentially infringing actions within Louisiana.

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Louisiana has already been off-limits for sweepstakes casinos

In 2025, Louisiana gaming regulators and law enforcement took multiple actions to restrict residents’ access to unlicensed platforms for playing casino games online. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill shared a public notice about the illegality of sweepstakes-based online gaming sites, in addition to issuing cease-and-desist orders to the companies affiliated with those sites. As a result, many of the operators of those sites geofenced Louisiana out of their service areas.

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board supplemented that action with its additional cease-and-desist letters. Fontenot’s bill could add additional weight to these demands if it becomes law.

There is currently no legal framework for playing online casino games or redeeming casino bonus codes in Louisiana. While online sports wagering is legal in most of the state, officials in Baton Rouge have not yet tackled the issue of iGaming.

Even if voters in Louisiana someday do clear the way for the utilization of Fanatics Casino promo codes, that would involve licensed gaming and not affect the implementation of Fontenot’s bill. However, such deliberations do not seem imminent.

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If HB 53 becomes law, Louisiana could levy some of the toughest penalties for illegal gaming activity in the United States. Many potential targets of prosecution have already pulled out of the state.

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