HLS 15RS-685 ENGROSSED
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 39
BY REPRESENTATIVE HOLLIS
ELECTIONS/RECALL: Requests the House and Governmental Affairs and Senate and
Governmental Affairs committees to meet and function as a joint committee to study
the advisability of reducing the number of signatures required to have a recall
election
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To authorize and request the House Committee on House and Governmental Affairs and the
3 Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs to meet and function as a
4 joint committee to study and make recommendations with respect to the advisability
5 of reducing the number of signatures required to have a recall election.
6 WHEREAS, Article X, Section 26 of the Constitution of Louisiana requires the
7legislature to provide by general law for the recall by election of any state, district, parochial,
8ward, or municipal official except judges of the courts of record; and
9 WHEREAS, pursuant to this constitutional mandate, the legislature enacted Chapter
106-C of the Louisiana Election Code to govern recall elections; and
11 WHEREAS, the law provides for a process that begins with the circulation of a
12petition during a limited time period to obtain the signatures of electors within the applicable
13voting area; and
14 WHEREAS, if the required number of signatures for the petition is obtained prior to
15the deadline, an election is held to determine whether the public officer will be recalled and
16removed from office; and
17 WHEREAS, the law requires the petition to be signed by a number of the electors
18of the voting area as will in number equal not less than thirty-three and one-third percent of
19the number of the total electors of the voting area wherein and for which a recall election is
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HCR NO. 39
1petitioned; however, where fewer than one thousand qualified electors reside within the
2voting area, the petition must be signed by not less than forty percent of the electors; and
3 WHEREAS, Louisiana's signature requirement is among the highest of those states
4that provide for recall; and
5 WHEREAS, a study is needed to determine whether the number of signatures
6required to have a recall election should be reduced.
7 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
8authorize and request the House Committee on House and Governmental Affairs and the
9Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs to meet and function as a joint
10committee to study and make recommendations with respect to the advisability of reducing
11the number of signatures required to have a recall election.
12 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the joint committee shall report its findings and
13recommendations to the legislature not later than sixty days prior to the convening of the
142016 Regular Session of the Legislature of Louisiana.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 39 Engrossed 2015 Regular Session Hollis
Authorizes and requests the House Committee on House and Governmental Affairs and the
Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs to meet and function as a joint
committee to study and make recommendations with respect to the advisability of reducing
the number of signatures required to have a recall election. Provides for a report of study
findings and recommendations at least 60 days prior to the 2016 R.S.
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