The solons have gathered in Baton Rouge for the 2024 legislative session, the first under new governor, Jeff Landry, and the politicians in their infinite lack of wisdom have given us much to worry about.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Governor Landry’s agenda is pretty clear—proliferate the number of guns on the street and the number of Airbnbs in New Orleans, gut public education, take over higher education, crack down on obscenity, and, of course, attack trans & queer people. The array of proposed legislation is horrifying and may be described as a huge pile of steaming bullshit packaged in Christian wrapping paper with a big red, white, and blue “patriotic” bow on top.
Despite the overwhelming number of bad bills, there are, however, a few positive proposals. Here’s the skinny:
SB 1 allows any law-abiding citizen aged 18 or older to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. This bill has already passed.
HB 591 prohibits local governments from regulating online marketplaces, such as Airbnb. This would prohibit New Orleans from tracking illegal short-term rentals on websites.
HB 625 allows property owners to sue municipalities for financial losses incurred by laws, regulations or ordinances that affect their private property and are deemed burdensome.
SB 313 & HB 745 would use money allocated for public education to be used for private schools. This is essentially a voucher program.
SB 403 gives the governor the sole power to appoint the chairs of each of the state’s four higher education governing boards and the Commissioner of Higher Education.
HB 414 removes criminal prosecution protections against obscenity laws for public libraries. Current law exempts schools, libraries, hospitals, museums, and other institutions from obscenity laws, but this bill would remove this protection, subjecting libraries to censorship and criminal consequences.
HB 545 removes criminal prosecution protections against obscenity laws specifically for public K-12 schools. It eliminates the current exemption for public schools from obscenity laws, thereby exposing them to censorship and criminal consequences.
HB 640 limits the power of local Library Boards of Control by granting parish governments the authority to remove board members at will and without cause. This undermines the independence and autonomy of library boards and could lead to politicization and interference in library operations.
HB 121 requires schools to disclose information about students’ gender identities to their legal guardians. It also allows school employees to assert moral objections to using students’ preferred names and pronouns.
HB 122 prohibits discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools from kindergarten to 12th grade. It also mandates the removal of all LGBTQ+ supportive clubs and forbids teachers and staff from discussing their own identities.
HB 608 prohibits trans and non-binary individuals from using bathrooms of their choice in schools, shelters, correctional facilities, athletics, dormitories, and any sex-segregated public accommodations controlled by the state.
The good bills:
HB 436 modernizes criminalization laws regarding HIV to be in current alignment with modern science. It proposes clearer definitions, ensuring that the law focuses on stopping individuals from intentionally spreading HIV.
HB 98 proposes to amend the state constitution to recognize same-sex marriages within Louisiana and from other states.
HB 234 establishes crucial employment non-discrimination protections for LGBT+ individuals in Louisiana, prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in the workplace.
Given the Republican super-majority in the legislature, it’s a safe bet the bad bills will pass, and the good ones will not. And now that Democrat John Bel Edwards is no longer governor, we cannot depend on gubernatorial vetoes, considering that Governor Landry is a right-wing, Christian Nationalist Republican.
