(Constitutional Amendment) Provides that the timing and duration of regular sessions of the legislature may be set by joint rule of the legislature (EGF DECREASE GF EX See Note)

HB 752 proposes a constitutional amendment that fundamentally restructures the timing and regulatory framework for Louisiana legislative sessions. Currently, the Constitution mandates that even-numbered year sessions convene on the second Monday in March for up to sixty legislative days within an eighty-five calendar day period, while odd-numbered year sessions begin on the second Monday in April for up to forty-five legislative days within sixty calendar days. The amendment replaces this bifurcated system with a unified regular session beginning at noon on the second Monday in February and adjourning no later than May thirty-first each year. The amendment eliminates most of the subject matter restrictions that currently govern sessions in even-numbered and odd-numbered years, removes rigid prefiling deadlines and introduction cutoffs that presently apply, and strips out the current temporal restrictions on consideration of bills for third reading and final passage. Critically, the amendment grants the legislature authority to modify the timing and duration of regular sessions through a joint rule adopted by a two-thirds vote of elected members in each house, using the same procedural requirements as legislation but exempting such joint rules from gubernatorial veto and time limitations on introduction. The amendment preserves the legislature's ability to extend sessions by two legislative or calendar day increments for purposes of finally passing appropriations bills, maintaining the existing six calendar day maximum extension limit and the restriction that extended sessions shall consider only appropriations matters.

The practical effect of this amendment reshapes legislative operations across multiple constituencies. Individual legislators gain substantially greater flexibility in the matters they may introduce and consider, as the current subject matter restrictions specific to odd-numbered year sessions and the tax provisions applicable to even-numbered year sessions would be eliminated. The business community and interest groups organized by subject matter would encounter a legislature capable of addressing tax policy, regulatory reform, and sector-specific legislation at any regular session, rather than being confined to restricted windows. Local governments and statewide political subdivisions would no longer benefit from the current constitutional protection against new or increased taxes during even-numbered year sessions. The legislative staff and administrative apparatus must accommodate a longer potential session window of nearly four months rather than the current maximum of approximately three months in even years or two months in odd years. Executive branch agencies and the Governor face alterations in their legislative interaction calendars and enhanced unpredictability regarding when substantive policy measures might reach final passage.

The amendment operates within Louisiana's constitutional amendment process established in Article XII, requiring voter approval at a statewide election, which is scheduled for November 3, 2026. It directly amends Article III, Section 2(A) and (D) of the Louisiana Constitution, which governs the legislative branch's structural operations. The existing constitutional framework distinguishes between regular sessions and organizational sessions; the amendment modifies only regular session provisions while adjusting the organizational session limitation from three legislative days to three days without substantial operational change. The amendment's authorization for the legislature to alter session timing and duration through joint rule creates a mechanism for constitutional amendment without requiring voter approval for subsequent adjustments, effectively delegating certain constitutional authority to the legislative branch itself. This delegation operates within parameters—the two-thirds supermajority requirement and procedural formality—intended to prevent unilateral modification by simple majority action. The amendment's removal of subject matter restrictions and temporal deadlines eliminates constraints that currently shape legislative behavior and strategic timing, operating in concert with existing provisions regarding extension of sessions for appropriations purposes, which the amendment explicitly preserves.