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2024 Regular Session
SENATE BILL NO. 181
BY SENATOR MORRIS
CIVIL SERVICE. Constitutional amendment to provide for membership of the State Civil
Service Commission. (2/3 - CA12s1)
1 A JOINT RESOLUTION
2 Proposing to amend Article X, Section 2(B) and Section 3(B) and (C) of the Constitution of
3 Louisiana, relative to state civil service; to provide for procedure for the addition of
4 unclassified positions; to provide for composition of the State Civil Service
5 Commission; to provide for terms of State Civil Service Commission members; to
6 specify an election for submission of the proposition to electors; and to provide a
7 ballot proposition.
8 Section 1. Be it resolved by the Legislature of Louisiana, two-thirds of the members
9 elected to each house concurring, that there shall be submitted to the electors of the state, for
10 their approval or rejection in the manner provided by law, a proposal to amend Article X,
11 Section 2(B) and Section 3(B) and (C) of the Constitution of Louisiana, to read as follows:
12 §2. Classified and Unclassified Service
13 Section 2.(A)
14 * * *
15 (B) Unclassified Service. The unclassified service shall include the following
16 officers and employees in the state and city civil service:
17 (1) elected officials and persons appointed to fill vacancies in elective offices;
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1 (2) the heads of each principal executive department appointed by the
2 governor, the mayor, or the governing authority of a city;
3 (3) city attorneys;
4 (4) registrars of voters;
5 (5) members of state and city boards, authorities, and commissions;
6 (6) one private secretary to the president of each college or university;
7 (7) one person holding a confidential position and one principal assistant or
8 deputy to any officer, board, commission, or authority mentioned in (1), (2), (4), or
9 (5) above, except civil service departments;
10 (8) members of the military or naval forces;
11 (9) teaching and professional staffs, and administrative officers of schools,
12 colleges, and universities of the state, and bona fide students of those institutions
13 employed by any state, parochial, or municipal agency;
14 (10) employees, deputies, and officers of the legislature and of the offices of
15 the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, each mayor and city attorney,
16 of police juries, school boards, assessors, and of all offices provided for in Article
17 V of this constitution except the offices of clerk of the municipal and traffic courts
18 in New Orleans;
19 (11) commissioners of elections, watchers, and custodians and deputy
20 custodians of voting machines;
21 (12) railroad employees whose working conditions and retirement benefits
22 are regulated by federal agencies in accordance with federal law; and
23 (13) the director, deputy director, and all employees of the Governor's Office
24 of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
25 Additional positions may be added to the unclassified service and those
26 positions may be revoked by rules adopted by a commission, or positions may
27 otherwise be removed from the classified service as provided by law.
28 §3. State Civil Service Commission
29 Section 3.(A) * * *
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1 (B)(1) Appointment. The members shall be appointed by the governor, with
2 consent of the Senate, as hereinafter provided, for overlapping terms of six four
3 years.
4 (2) No person who has served shall serve as a member of the commission for
5 more than two and one-half full terms in three consecutive terms shall be appointed
6 to the commission for the succeeding term. This Subparagraph shall not apply to any
7 person appointed to the commission prior to the effective date of this Subparagraph,
8 except that it shall apply to any term of service of any such person that begins after
9 such date.
10 (C)(1) Nominations. The presidents of Centenary College at Shreveport,
11 Dillard University at New Orleans, Louisiana College at Pineville, Loyola University
12 at New Orleans, Tulane University of Louisiana at New Orleans, and Xavier
13 University at New Orleans, after giving consideration to representation of all groups,
14 each shall separately nominate up to three persons for the purpose of filling
15 certain vacancies. The governor shall appoint one member three members of the
16 commission from the three persons nominated by each president the presidents. One
17 member of the commission shall be elected by the classified employees of the state
18 from their number as provided by law. A vacancy for any cause shall be filled by
19 appointment or election in accordance with the procedure or law governing the
20 appointment or election, and from the same source. Within thirty days after a
21 vacancy of a member appointed from the list of nominees submitted by the
22 presidents occurs, the president concerned presidents shall submit the required
23 nominations. Within thirty days thereafter, the governor shall make his appointment,
24 with consent of the Senate. If the governor fails to appoint within thirty days, the
25 nominee whose name is first on the list of nominees automatically shall become a
26 member of the commission, with consent of the Senate. If any nominating authority
27 fails to submit nominees in the time required, or if one of the named institutions
28 ceases to exist, the governor shall make the appointment to the commission, with
29 consent of the Senate.
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1 (2) Beginning January 1, 2025, the governor is authorized to assign
2 staggered terms to the existing members of the commission by designating
3 which member shall serve a term of one year, two years, three years, or four
4 years. Any member who has served more than two four-year terms shall no
5 longer be eligible to serve and shall be replaced pursuant to the provisions of
6 this Section.
7 Section 2. Be it further resolved that this proposed amendment shall be submitted to
8 the electors of the state of Louisiana at the statewide election to be held on November 5,
9 2024.
10 Section 3. Be it further resolved that on the official ballot to be used at said election
11 there shall be printed a proposition, upon which the electors of the state shall be permitted
12 to vote YES or NO, to amend the Constitution of Louisiana, which proposition shall read as
13 follows:
14 Do you support an amendment to provide for term limits for state civil
15 service commissioners, shorten their terms to four years, reduce the number of
16 nominations by private university presidents, provide for the appointment of officers,
17 provide for transitional provisions, and authorize by law a reduction of the number
18 of required classified positions?
19 (Amends Article X, Section 2(B) and Section 3(B) and (C))
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Matt DeVille.
DIGEST
SB 181 Reengrossed 2024 Regular Session Morris
Present constitution provides that unclassified positions in the state and city civil service
system include: elected officials and persons appointed to fill vacancies in elective offices,
the heads of each principal executive department appointed by the governor, the mayor, or
the governing authority of a city, city attorneys, registrars of voters, members of state and
city boards, authorities, and commissions, one private secretary to the president of each
college or university, one person holding a confidential position and one principal assistant
or deputy to any officer, board, commission, or authority as provided in present constitution,
members of the military or naval forces, teaching and professional staffs, and administrative
officers of schools, colleges, and universities of the state, and bona fide students of those
institutions employed by any state, parochial, or municipal agency, employees, deputies, and
officers of the legislature and of the offices of the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney
general, each mayor and city attorney, of police juries, school boards, assessors, and of all
offices provided for in present constitution except the offices of clerk of the municipal and
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traffic courts in New Orleans, commissioners of elections, watchers, and custodians and
deputy custodians of voting machines, railroad employees whose working conditions and
retirement benefits are regulated by federal agencies in accordance with federal law, and the
director, deputy director, and all employees of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security
and Emergency Preparedness.
Proposed constitutional amendment retains present constitution as to the designation of
unclassified civil service positions.
Present constitutional amendment further provides that additional positions may be added
to the unclassified service and those positions may be revoked by rules adopted by a
commission.
Proposed constitutional amendment retains present constitution and further provides that
positions may be removed from the classified service as provided by law.
Present constitution provides that the State Civil Service Commission shall be composed of
seven members who are electors of the state and that four members constitute a quorum.
Proposed constitutional amendment retains present constitution.
Present constitutional amendment requires at least one appointed member to be from each
congressional district and provides that an appointment of a member from the state at large
is permitted only when the membership of the body includes a member from each
congressional district.
Proposed constitutional amendment requires at least one member to be appointed from each
congressional district.
Present constitution provides that members are appointed by the governor, with consent of
the Senate, for overlapping terms of six years.
Proposed constitutional amendment provides that members are appointed by the governor,
with consent of the Senate, for overlapping terms of four years.
Present constitution provides that no person who has served as a commission member for
more than two and one-half terms in three consecutive terms shall be appointed for the
succeeding term.
Proposed constitutional amendment provides that no member shall serve more than two full
terms and that beginning January 1, 2025, the governor is authorized to assign staggered
terms to existing members and that no member who has served more than two four-year
terms shall no longer be eligible to serve and shall be replaced.
Present constitution provides that the presidents of Centenary College at Shreveport, Dillard
University at New Orleans, Louisiana College at Pineville, Loyola University at New
Orleans, Tulane University of Louisiana at New Orleans, and Xavier University at New
Orleans each shall nominate three persons for consideration by the governor for appointment
to the State Civil Service Commission.
Present constitution further provides that the governor shall appoint one member of the
commission from the three persons nominated by each president and that one member shall
be elected by the classified employees of the state as provided by law.
Proposed constitutional amendment provides that the governor shall appoint three members
of the commission from the list of nominees submitted by all of the private college
presidents and three members at-large and retains present constitution as to the member
elected by the classified employees of the state.
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Specifies submission of the amendment to the voters at the statewide election to be held on
November 5, 2024.
(Amends Const. Art. X, Sec. 2(B) and 3(B) and (C))
Summary of Amendments Adopted by Senate
Senate Floor Amendments to engrossed bill
1. Make technical changes.
2. Provide that positions may be removed from the classified service as
provided by law.
3. Provide for the method of appointment of members of the State Civil Service
Commission and the filling of certain vacancies.
4. Provide for term limits of members of the State Civil Service Commission.
5. Revise the ballot language.
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