Louisiana’s budget and bills about abortion access, the state insurance crisis, teacher pay and LGBTQ rights will top the state legislative agenda when lawmakers return to the Capitol Monday.
The state Constitution requires the two-month long session to focus on fiscal and budgetary matters every other year and 2023 is one of them. Gov. John Bel Edwards, who is unable to run for re-election this year due to term limits, put forth his final proposed budget in February. The Democrat outlined a $45.7 billion spending plan for 2023-24, similar to the previous budget.
Although the session focuses on budgetary and tax-related bills, each lawmaker can file five bills unrelated to finances. More than 800 have been submitted filed between in the Republican-dominated legislature.Louisiana has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. The only exceptions are for cases in which there is a substantial risk of death or impairment to the patient and for “medically futile” pregnancies - those in which the fetus has a fatal abnormality.
A proposal to decriminalize marijuana has been filed again, though similar bills have failed in the past.Louisiana lawmakers and the state Insurance Commissioner previewed a 2023 legislative package they hope will stabilize the state’s property insurance market, which has been beset by skyrocketing premiums and insurers fleeing the state due to the high cost of frequent hurricanes.
One bill filed this session aims to deny gender-affirming care to juveniles. Another piece of legislation is similar to Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” law, which restricts teachers from talking about sexual orientation or gender identity both in lessons and when it comes to personal lives.
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