On Oct. 14 voters are asked to consider four amendments to the Louisiana constitution. The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana (PAR) has released its PAR Guide to the 2023 Constitutional Amendments. This independent, nonpartisan review is designed to help voters understand the issues so they can develop their own positions on each proposition.
The Guide is educational and does not recommend how to vote. The Alta and John Franks Foundation and The Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation provided support for the report.
Here is a review of each amendment on the Oct 14 ballot.
Amendment Number 1
(Prohibiting donations to conduct elections) Do you support an amendment to prohibit the use of foods, goods or services from a foreign government or a nongovernmental source to conduct elections and election functions and duties unless the use is authorized by the secretary of state through policies established in accordance of the law?
A vote for bans the use of financial or other donations from a nongovernmental source or foreign government to administer elections under most circumstances.
A vote against would allow election officials to determine whether to accept financial or other donations from outside sources to conduct elections. Amendment Number 2
(Protection for worship in churches) Do you support an amendment to provide that the freedom of worship in a church or other place of worship is fundamental right that is worthy of the highest protection?
A vote for would declare the highest level of constitutional protection for the freedom of worship in a church or other place of worship, requiring courts to apply the strictest level of judicial review to challenges when government bodies restrict access.
A vote against would maintain current constitutional protections which provide that the free exercise of religion is a fundamental right to the highest level of scrutiny under Louisiana law but do not specifically single out houses of worship.
Amendment Number 3
(Surplus spending on retirement debt) Do you support an amendment to require a minimum of 25 percent of any money designated as nonrecurring state revenue to be applied toward the balance of the unfunded accrued liability of the state retirement systems?
A vote for would require lawmakers to use 25 percent of any state surplus to pay retirement debt for the four state retirement services.
A vote against would leave the current requirement that lawmakers spend 10 percent of any state surplus to pay retirement debt for two state retirement systems through 2029.
Amendment Number 4
(Property Tax Exemptions for nonprofit organizations) Do you support an amendment to deny a property tax exemption to a non-profit corporation or association that owns residential property in such a state of disrepair that is endangers public heath or safety?
A vote for would allow local governmental officials to remove a property tax exemption from nonprofit organizations that lease housing and have repeated public health and safety violations.
A vote against would maintain the current system of property tax exemptions for nonprofit organizations, including for those that have repeated public health and safety violations.
There will also be four constitutional amendments for consideration on the Nov. 18 election ballot. A PAR review of those will appear in a later issue of the newspaper.