Amendments on Nov. 4 ballot

• By MICHELLE MILLHOLLON
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Oct 19, 2008 - Page: 1A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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East Baton Rouge Parish stands to gain an additional $1.2 million a year from one of seven constitutional amendments facing voters on the Nov. 4 ballot.

Proposed Amendment No. 4 would allow some parishes to keep more of the severance tax the state collects on natural resources.

Parishes with an abundance of natural resources would especially benefit. Parishes in which the state collects little severance tax revenue, such as Ascension, Orleans and West Baton Rouge, would not receive any additional revenue.

The amendment’s sponsor, state Rep. Rick Gallot, emphasized that the change would not affect voters’ pocketbooks.

“This is not a tax increase,” Gallot said. “Some people see tax and just automatically assume it’s an increase.”

The severance tax issue is one of the meatier proposed changes to the state constitution.

Voters also will be asked to:

• Impose term limits on members of a number of state boards and commissions.
• Keep a tax break intact for certain homeowners whose properties are seized by the government.
• Allow a replacement to be named for a legislator who is called to active duty by the military.
• Increase the amount of notice required to call the Legislature into session.

Louisiana adopted a new constitution in 1974. Since then, voters have approved 151 changes and rejected 63 proposed amendments.  To amend the constitution, a majority of voters must agree to the change.

One of the amendments on the Nov. 4 ballot became timely when state Rep. Nick Lorusso — a member of the Army Reserve — was called up to active duty. He likely will miss next year’s regular legislative session. 

The Bureau of Governmental Research, or BGR, is opposed to several of the proposed constitutional amendments. BGR’s complaints range from the changes being overly broad to them being insignificant.

Amendment 1
This change would impose term limits on members of a number of boards and commissions.

The affected members would be limited to three consecutive terms. After serving more than two and a half terms, the member would have to sit out for two years before serving on any of the affected boards and commissions.

Current members with more than three consecutive terms under their belts would be able to complete their present terms.

The change would apply to the Public Service Commission, State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, Board of Regents, University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors, LSU System Board of Supervisors, Southern University Board of Supervisors,
Louisiana Community and Technical College System Board of Supervisors, Forestry Commission, State Civil Service Commission and State Police Commission.