First Louisiana played catch-up, now it looks to lead conservative states
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When Louisiana replaced Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards in January with Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, state lawmakers rushed to catch up to a number of conservative policies vetoed by the previous administration.
Why it matters: Now, Louisiana is setting the trends itself with a series of new laws that could set national precedent for other GOP-led states.
Catch up quick: As he left office, Edwards was the Deep South's only Democratic governor.
- In his tenure, he vetoed bills targeting LGBTQ+ youth, expanded Medicaid, created an aggressive plan to tackle climate change and oversaw a massive criminal justice overhaul credited with the state losing its prison capital title.
- Then, Landry was elected during a primary last fall with enough of a cushion to avoid a run-off.
- The state has tilted into deep red territory since he took office in January, empowered by Republican supermajorities in the statehouse.
Point in case: It started with a criminal justice-focused special session that undid many of the earlier reforms like eliminating parole, expanding the death penalty and lowering age limits for when juveniles could be tried as adults.
- Landry also signed new versions of the anti-LGBTQ+ policies, and the state joined others in suing the Biden administration over the new Title IX guidance preventing sex-based discrimination in schools.
- Landry has also sent Louisiana National Guardsmen to support Texas border patrols and signed a bill empowering local law enforcement to arrest people who entered the country illegally.
And now, Louisiana looks to lead the conservative pack with new legislation.
- The state just passed the nation's first mandate to post the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms after other states failed to bring similar measures across the finish line.
- It'll also be first to reclassify drugs used for abortions as controlled substances.
- And most recently, Landry signed the nation's first law to legalize surgical castration as a sentence for sex offenders who commit some crimes against children under 13.
What they're saying: As the GOP wins have stacked up, Governing magazine called Landry "one of the most ambitious new governors."
Yes, but: He's not untouchable.
- Not all of Landry's priorities have made it through the legislature. His plan to create education savings accounts for families to use state dollars on private school tuition had much of its teeth removed by the time he signed it.
What's next: It's likely other states will follow suit and explore similar legislation to what Louisiana's GOP leaders have achieved.
- An attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union told The New York Times she would not be surprised to see a "huge influx" of Christian-backed bills filed next year.