(Constitutional Amendment) Provides for the election of constitutional convention delegates and vote requirements necessary for the adoption of a new constitution (RR SEE FISC NOTE GF EX)

HB 244 proposes to amend Article XIII, Section 2 of the Louisiana Constitution to modify the procedures governing constitutional conventions. The amendment establishes that convention delegates shall be elected from each senatorial district and each representative district, with one delegate per district. It requires that any proposed constitution or alternative propositions agreed upon by the convention must receive approval from two-thirds of the delegates before submission to the electorate. Additionally, the amendment changes the ratification requirement so that a proposed constitution must be ratified by a majority of electors voting on the proposal and a majority of electors in no fewer than three-fourths of the parishes, replacing the previous standard of approval by a simple majority of voters statewide.

The practical effect of this legislation is to increase the threshold for both internal convention action and public ratification of constitutional changes. State legislators considering whether to authorize a constitutional convention will understand that any substantive constitutional product must clear a supermajority hurdle within the convention itself, preventing a simple majority of delegates from unilaterally determining the convention's output. Louisiana voters and parish-based constituencies will gain enhanced leverage over constitutional adoption, as the amendment requires support across a geographically diverse cross-section of parishes rather than permitting urban or densely populated areas to carry a statewide vote. This geographic requirement ensures that constitutional changes must secure acceptance beyond narrow regional concentrations of population.

This amendment operates within the existing constitutional framework established by Article XIII, Section 2, which currently permits the legislature to call a convention by supermajority vote in each house. The amendment preserves this legislative gatekeeping function while modifying the downstream mechanics of delegate composition and decision thresholds. The geographic ratification requirement creates a federal-style structure akin to state constitutional provisions in other jurisdictions, ensuring that constitutional change receives approval from dispersed portions of the state rather than concentrated urban centers. The amendment has been scheduled for submission to Louisiana voters on November 3, 2026, through a statewide election ballot proposition, which constitutes the ordinary mechanism for constitutional amendment adoption in Louisiana.