Legislation to repackage portions of Amendment 2, which failed in the March 29 election, will be heard in the House Ways and Means Committee this week.
Rep. Julie Emerson (R-Carencro), who authored the legislation, said instead of just one amendment, they’re looking at several items to go before voters.
“The number one thing we heard really was we would like to see this in smaller doses. We don't wanna have to vote on one amendment that does 25 different things. And so I understand that,” said Emerson.
Because the tax reform session was rushed last November, Emerson said there was confusion about the amendment. Instead of one ballot measure to revise financial portions of the constitution, they are proposing individual ones.
“I’m hopeful that this time we will take a slightly longer and more methodical approach to it. I'm gonna have those individuals in committee, hopefully, to answer those questions, to make people feel more comfortable with what we're trying to do,” said Emerson.
Amendment 2 tried to use education trust funds to pay down teacher retirement debt, and make teacher pay stipends permanent.
The ballot measure also tried to lower the state’s income tax to a flat 3% and preserve constitutional property protections for churches and nonprofits.
Emerson said she’s heard from voters who supported most of the amendment, but certain parts kept them from voting in favor.
“Some of the concepts, we're just not popular. I'm not gonna try to necessarily bring those concepts back,” Emerson said.
So instead of an “all of the above approach” with one amendment, Emerson said they’ll try to break things down into smaller categories.
If the bills pass with a two-thirds majority in both chambers, they will go before voters in the November 2026 election.
Below is a list of bills Emerson filed for the 2025 regular session:
