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Regular Session, 2012
SENATE BILL NO. 21
BY SENATOR GUILLORY
LEGIS POWERS/FUNCTIONS. Provides for prefiling and notice deadlines for bills
affecting public retirement systems.
A JOINT RESOLUTION1
Proposing to amend Article III, Section 2(A)(2), Article X, Section 29(C), and Article XIII,2
Section 1(A) of the Constitution of Louisiana, relative to Acts of the legislature3
relative to public retirement systems; to provide relative to the prefiling deadline for4
retirement legislation; to provide relative to the public notice requirement for5
retirement legislation; to provide for submission of the proposed amendment to the6
electors; and to provide for related matters.7
Notice of intention to introduce this Act has been published.8
Section 1. Be it resolved by the Legislature of Louisiana, two-thirds of the members9
elected to each house concurring, that there shall be submitted to the electors of the state of10
Louisiana, for their approval or rejection in the manner provided by law, a proposal to11
amend Article III, Section 2(A)(2) of the Constitution of Louisiana, to read as follows:12
§2. Sessions13
Section 2.(A) Annual Session.14
* * *15
(2)(a) Any prefiled bill to effect any change in laws relating to any16
retirement system for public employees to be introduced in either house shall17 SB NO. 21
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be prefiled no later than five o'clock in the evening of the forty-fifth calendar1
day prior to the first day of a regular session.2
(b) Any bill other than a bill to effect any change in laws relating to any3
retirement system for public employees to be introduced in either house shall be4
prefiled no later than five o'clock in the evening of the tenth calendar day prior to the5
first day of a regular session; session.6
(c) thereafter After five o'clock in the evening of the tenth calendar day7
prior to the first day of a regular session no member of the legislature may8
introduce more than five bills, except as provided in the joint rules of the legislature.9
The legislature is authorized to provide by joint rule for the procedures for passage10
of duplicate or companion instruments.11
* * *12
Section 2. Be it further resolved by the Legislature of Louisiana, two-thirds of the13
members elected to each house concurring, that there shall be submitted to the electors of14
the state of Louisiana, for their approval or rejection in the manner provided by law, a15
proposal to amend Article X, Section 29(C) of the Constitution of Louisiana, to read as16
follows:17
§29. Retirement and Survivor's Benefits18
Section 29.19
* * *20
(C) Retirement Systems; Change; Notice. No proposal to effect any change21
in existing laws or constitutional provisions relating to any retirement system for22
public employees shall be introduced in the legislature unless notice of intention to23
introduce the proposal has been published, without cost to the state, in the official24
state journal on two separate days. The last day of publication shall be at least thirty25
sixty days before introduction of the bill. The notice shall state the substance of the26
contemplated law or proposal, and the bill shall contain a recital that the notice has27
been given.28
* * *29 SB NO. 21
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Section 3. Be it further resolved by the Legislature of Louisiana, two-thirds1
of the members elected to each house concurring, that there shall be submitted to the2
electors of the state of Louisiana, for their approval or rejection in the manner3
provided by law, a proposal to amend Article XIII, Section 1(A) of the Constitution4
of Louisiana, to read as follows:5
§1. Amendments6
Section 1.(A)(1) Procedure. An amendment to this constitution may be7
proposed by joint resolution at any regular session of the legislature, but the8
resolution shall be prefiled, at least ten days before the beginning of the session or9
as provided in Subparagraph (2) of this Paragraph, in accordance with the rules10
of the house in which introduced. An amendment to this constitution may be11
proposed at any extraordinary session of the legislature if it is within the objects of12
the call of the session and is introduced in the first five calendar days thereof. If13
two-thirds of the elected members of each house concur in the resolution, pursuant14
to all of the procedures and formalities required for passage of a bill except15
submission to the governor, the secretary of state shall have the proposed amendment16
published once in the official journal of each parish within not less than thirty nor17
more than sixty days preceding the election at which the proposed amendment is to18
be submitted to the electors. Each joint resolution shall specify the statewide19
election at which the proposed amendment shall be submitted. Special elections for20
submitting proposed amendments may be authorized by law.21
(2) Any joint resolution proposed at a regular session of the legislature22
which effects any change in constitutional provisions relating to any retirement23
system for public employees shall be prefiled no later than five o'clock in the24
evening of the forty-fifth calendar day prior to the first day of session.25
* * *26
Section 4. Be it further resolved that this proposed amendment shall be submitted27
to the electors of the state of Louisiana at the statewide election to be held on November 6,28
2012.29 SB NO. 21
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Section 5. Be it further resolved that on the official ballot to be used at said election1
there shall be printed a proposition, upon which the electors of the state shall be permitted2
to vote FOR or AGAINST, to amend the Constitution of Louisiana, which proposition shall3
read as follows:4
To require legislation effecting any change to laws concerning retirement5
systems for public employees to be filed no later than forty-five days before6
the start of a regular legislative session and to require the completion of7
public notice requirements regarding such bills no later than sixty days8
before introduction of the bill. (Amends Article III, Section 2(A)(2), Article9
X, Section 29(C), and Article XIII, Section 1(A))10
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Lauren Bailey.
DIGEST
Present constitution requires proposed legislation to be prefiled no later than five o'clock in
the evening of the tenth calendar day prior to the first day of a regular session.
Proposed constitutional amendment retains present constitution for all proposed legislation
except prefiled bills effecting a change in retirement systems for public employees.
Proposed constitutional amendment requires retirement instruments that are prefiled to be
prefiled no later than five o'clock in the evening of the forty-fifth calendar day prior to the
first day of a regular session.
Present constitution provides that, with limited exception, after five o'clock on the tenth
calendar day prior to session, no legislator may introduce more than five bills. Proposed
constitutional amendment retains present constitution.
Present constitution requires public notice to be given of intent to introduce legislation
effecting public retirement systems, the last date of publication of such notice to be at least
30 days prior to introduction of the bill.
Proposed constitutional amendment requires public notice to be given of intent to introduce
legislation effecting public retirement systems, the last date of publication of such notice to
be at least 60 days prior to introduction of the bill.
Present constitution requires any joint resolution to amend the constitution to be filed at least
10 calendar days prior to the beginning of a regular session. Proposed constitutional
amendment requires all joint resolutions effecting retirement systems to be prefiled no later
than the forty-fifth day prior to the first day of session.
Provides for submission of the proposed amendment to the voters at the statewide election
to be held Nov. 6, 2010.
(Amends Const. Art. III, §2(A)(2), Art. XIII, §1(A) and Art. X, §29(C))