Jeremy Alford: Uncertainty remains after 2023 session
Between the threat of additional sessions this summer and re-election campaigns in the fall, there will be no shortage of political action in Capitoland as the Legislature and Edwards administration move through the final year of this term of state government.
This stretch of time — the months following a regular session — are typically quiet for political observers
But there’s nothing typical about what’s going on in Baton Rouge.
A rare veto session is expected to be triggered this week, which will in turn give lawmakers the opportunity to overturn roughly dozen vetoes issued by Gov. John Bel Edwards.
In the wake of the recent regular session, Edwards applied red ink to several bills involving the budget, corporate franchise taxes, vaccines, health care pricing, the insurance industry and more.
But what really has conservatives worried is Edwards’ veto of a set of anti-LGBTQ+ bills, including one that would restrict certain gender transition health care.
Most lawmakers would probably prefer to be back in their districts campaigning, but the gender care issue has many outside groups — like the Louisiana Republican Party — promising revenge if the Legislature doesn’t override the governor on this particular topic.
If the override session isn’t enough to keep lawmakers busy with official business, the House and Senate could end up returning to Baton Rouge yet again this summer or fall for a special session on redistricting.
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling two weeks ago that allows challenges to Louisiana’s congressional maps to move forward.
Lawmakers tackled the decennial task of redistricting last year, but many groups complained that the one majority Black district didn’t match Louisiana’s population breakdown.
The courts so far seem to believe a second Black majority district should be added to our congressional map, and lawmakers may (or may not) want to draw the revised lines themselves, rather than leaving it to a judge.
“There’s a lot of speculation, but no one really knows what is going to happen,” said House Speaker Pro Tem Tanner Magee, R-Houma. “This is more of a court and legal issue than a political one at the moment."
If lawmakers can manage to survive all of this session drama in the coming weeks and months, they will then have to manage re-election bids back home.
Incumbency matters just as much as it always has, but several seasoned lawmakers are facing substantive challenges on the ballot this fall.
There are no guarantees in Louisiana politics, and every representative and senator will have to work to keep their jobs.
For those who are met with victory, the war will begin anew with internal races for House speaker and Senate president.
Prior to Edwards being elected eight years ago, sitting governors helped shape these internal elections and more times than not handpicked the top officers.
When Edwards, a Democrat, first took office, however, he faced a Republican Legislature that yearned for independence — and for the first time in modern history, lawmakers did not select the governor’s choice.
Will that happen again if a Republican is elected governor? Maybe, according to Magee, who believes there are bigger problems that deserve attention.
“Unfortunately the real issues of the next speakership will be obscured,” said Magee.
“We are desperately in need of overhauling the internal nuts and bolts of the office. We’ve had a lot of staff turnover and more are departing. I venture to say that most people do not understand how the office actually works and all of things that happen that are not politics.
"I wish the next speaker candidates would present plans on how they will revamp the inner workings of the office. Instead, we will probably have some goofy division of who wants to be the governor’s lackey versus those of us who want to remain independent from the Governor’s Office.”
The next leadership elections are scheduled for January.
For more Louisiana political news, visit www. LaPolitics.com or follow Alford on Twitter @ LaPoliticsNow.