Nov. 18 election: Louisiana voters pass 3 of 4 constitutional amendments. Here's what it means

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Voters OK’d three new constitutional amendments on Saturday, Nov. 18 in the general election. Four were on the ballot.

The Public Affairs Research and Council of Louisiana shared a helpful guide breaking down what a vote for and against each proposed amendment would do.

Only a change to the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund was declined.

What do the voters’ decisions on the amendments mean?

Passed – Amendment No. 1: Deadlines to veto bills and rules for veto sessions

Approving this, per PAR’s guide, lets lawmakers try to override a governor’s bill rejections without calling a separate veto session if they are already in a legislative session and add further details about the deadlines for a governor to veto bills.

The amendment had 61% support.

Passed – Amendment No. 2: Repeal of inactive special funds in the constitution

Per PAR’s guide, approving this removes six inactive funds with zero or near-zero balances from the Louisiana Constitution. According to the guide, repealing inactive funds wouldn’t change anything for the state financially, but it would clean up the cluttered Louisiana Constitution.

The amendment had 55% support.

Passed – Amendment No. 3: Property tax exemptions for first responders

Per PAR’s guide, this allows a parish governing authority to give an extra property tax exemption to police, firefighters and certain other first responders who own homes and live in the parish.

The amendment had 53% support.

Failed – Amendment No. 4: Rule changes for the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund

Per PAR’s guide, a vote against would maintain broad rules for the emergency use of a seven-year-old state trust fund that collects dollars from corporate tax collections and gas production in Louisiana.

An argument against this, according to the guide, was that Louisiana locks up too much money in constitutionally protected accounts that limit lawmakers’ ability to respond to the state’s changing needs and circumstances.

The amendment had 44% support.