Louisiana Veto Waiver Session: State Senate Maintains Governor’s Veto on Concealed Postponement | Legislature

The Louisiana Senate rejected an attempt to override Gov. John Bel Edwards’ veto on a bill to allow the carrying of firearms without a license, apparently killing one of two key bills in the very first veto-veto session of the State Legislature.

Two Republicans, Senses Patrick Connick de Marrero and Louie Bernard de Natchitoches, voted against the waiver attempt after supporting the bill in the regular session. He failed on a 23-15 vote; 26 votes were needed to pass through the Chamber.

Democrats voted en bloc against Edwards’ quashing of the gun bill; Senator Gary Smith, D-Norco, had backed the gun bill in the regular session but sided with the governor in the attempted waiver.

Connick, a key Republican in the veto session, had voted to quash Edwards on the other key bill for the session, which targets transgender athletes. But he read a vulgar message he received on the gun bill and said the legislature should meet despite the controversial debate on the two bills.

Most importantly, Connick has said he will not vote to overturn Edwards’ veto on another bill, reducing the prospect of a veto override on other bills. Republicans have 27 Senate members, but Sen. Ronnie Johns, R-Lake Charles, did not attend for health reasons, leaving the GOP with no margin for error. This means that at least one Democrat should join Republicans in the Senate to override other vetoes.

“We’re dividing our house and we’re going to collapse,” Connick said. “Let’s find a way to come together.

Bernard said he changed his mind about the bill after speaking to law enforcement; a host of sheriffs have spoken out against the effort to override Edwards’ veto.

“I wouldn’t want to go to bed at night knowing that I have created an additional layer of risk” for the police, Bernard said.

The Senate passed both the transgender bill and the gun bill shortly after calling the very first noon veto session. Management has targeted these two bills as the main bills for the notwithstanding session, but rank-and-file members are looking to bypass Edwards’ vetoes on other bills.

For example, two other bills failed to get the votes needed to override the governor’s veto in the Senate on Tuesday: a bill by Senator Bodi White to launder industry members of a water commission underground ethical charges and another bill from Senator Heather Cloud to require the legislative auditor to investigate the state’s electoral systems.

Vote to override Governor Edwards’ veto on concealed unlicensed porterage (23): President Cortez, Sens Abraham, Allain, Cathey, Cloud, Fesi, Henry, Hensgens, Hewitt, Lambert, McMath, Milligan, F. Mills, R Mills, Mizell, Morris, Peacock, Pope, Reese, Talbot, Ward, White and Womack.

Vote Against Overriding Senate Bill 118 (15): Sens Barrow, Bernard, Boudreaux, Bouie, Carter, Connick, Fields, Foil, Harris, Jackson, Luneau, Peterson, Price, Smith and Tarver.

Not voting (1): Senator Johns.

Click here to follow live updates on today’s veto waiver session