Jim Beam column: Critical time coming Monday

Published 6:03 am Wednesday, March 4, 2026

The Louisiana Legislature begins its 2026 regular session at noon on Monday, March 9, and by this past Monday afternoon lawmakers had already filed over 1,300 bills. There are 41 proposed state constitutional amendments in that number.

The House has filed 956 measures and the Senate has filed 401, for a total of 1,357 bills.

The Center Square reported last month that 18 of those bills were filed by lawmakers who are moving quickly to put guardrails around artificial intelligence. The proposals outlined so far show concern over deep fake pornography, child exploitation and deceptive campaign materials.

State Rep. Kyle Green, D-Marrero, said during the Public Affairs Research Council webinar that one of his main priorities is advancing legislation that would “put some guardrails on the emergence of AI technology” as it relates to children.

“I think we have a moral obligation to protect those that are vulnerable, particularly our children,” Green said. He pointed to reports of children harming themselves after interacting with chat bots that encouraged self-harm.

Among the proposed amendments are those that would set gubernatorial term limits, abolish the Board of Regents, establish parental rights, authorize a parish governing authority to increase the homestead exemption, allow the governor to recommend suspension or removal of a district attorney and certain judges and establish a state livable wage.

The Louisiana Radio Network reported that state Rep. Michael Bayham, R-Chalmette, has filed House Bill 225, a proposed amendment that would place a lifetime limit of two terms on a person who has served as governor.

The amendment, if approved, would mean that former Govs. Bobby Jindal and John Bel Edwards could not serve as governor again.

“There’s no shortage of political talent and ability in this state. And I believe this will help try to encourage new leadership across the board,” Bayham said.

Bayham said the legislation is not targeting Jindal or Edwards — or possibly current Gov. Jeff Landry, if he’s re-elected to a second term.

The network said the late Edwin W. Edwards served four terms. Earl Long served three terms in the mid-1900s.

“We’ve got enough good people in this state, across the board, to choose from, rather than having them go back to a former governor,” Bayham said.

Louisiana First News that combines the operations of Fox 44 and NBC 33 in Baton Rouge reported on the Board of Regents and governor suspending D.A. amendments.

House Bill 391 that would abolish the Board of Regents is sponsored by state Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge.

The regents are tasked with overseeing all public higher education in the state, including the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, LSU System, Southern System and the University of Louisiana System.

If lawmakers pass the bill during the regular legislative session, the constitutional amendment would go to the voters for the Nov. 3 election.

State Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, has filed Senate Bill 123, which would let voters decide whether  the governor could recommend suspending or removing district attorneys and specific judges accused of wrongdoing, serious misconduct or incompetence.

Morris said the legislation is a response to what he describes as repeated failures in the justice system.

“The people of Louisiana are fed up with a system that allows repeat violent offenders to cycle through the courts without consequence, while those responsible for enforcing the law face none,” Morris said. “These are not isolated incidents—they are systemic failures. When judges and district attorneys fail in their duties, the public pays the price.”

Any final decisions on suspension and removal would need Senate approval. The proposed amendment would appear on the statewide ballot on April 17, 2027.

State legislators can’t seem to stop trying to give Gov. Landry more power. When they gave him power to name chairpersons on major government committees, it has given him authority to name presidents of a number of our state colleges and universities.

Landry is trying awfully hard to achieve the kind of power in Louisiana that his mentor in the White House has already grabbed at the national level.

It is difficult to believe that the district attorneys and judges in this state are going to sit quietly when Morris’ amendment comes up for legislative debate. In fact, I would be surprised if it got that far. The other two amendments should also be derailed.

Jim Beam, the retired editor of the American Press, has covered people and politics for more than six decades. Contact him at jim.beam.press@gmail.com.