[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6264381,"mediaKeyId","3096568-ecdd4bc314c029d0df149fa059a8eeaa","parentId",3096568,"title","Committee backs constitutional amendment to bar foreign funding of state elections and ballot measures","audioSeconds",1381,"startMs",3586000,"endMs",4967000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3096568-ecdd4bc314c029d0df149fa059a8eeaa&start=3586&end=4967","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3096568-ecdd4bc314c029d0df149fa059a8eeaa/thumbnail_3586000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6264381/Louisiana/Committee-backs-constitutional-amendment-to-bar-foreign-funding-of-state-elections-and-ballot-measures","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6264381-3d36ab90a977768337945ff43e26619c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770936580&Signature=YmFjPWS8AWBQ0Nj6-4JtEupasVRoROIfit3jEj3a2Ubts6~3pbCuKVlKu9HxF3XLTltaBFT-soMVEl4~rgFGytZE7Zr5Qe0NStcui5EHEJNR7rC7~BTmCDvCksYJ0eJbwXIYJuHZZio4Km75r2mb9YCooYAUG~wVDcFCa-giAY1ZFjtqPRNR-aQtnSOpWO1oZNB9Ah~3zHkCv8ovlGAmXr1ZdRCJwN8UxrKTLC1L1GdtMpqg~jHI8uPMNXhbxRfqD0cW-ONVbNoPCKAqLOm1RhkLDtMGRgF8BWL1N4oKs6D070SKRuYU~JlWL~SQBSR055zBkhbkb0ip3ajwFhDq5g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Louisiana Legislature","date","2025-04-23T00:00:00Z","article","Senate Bill 109, a proposed constitutional amendment to bar foreign funding of candidates and ballot measures, was reported favorably by the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs on April 23, 2025.

Senator Seba, sponsor of the measure, said the amendment aims to protect the integrity of elections. Nancy Landry, Secretary of State, framed the proposal as a voter‑protection measure and cited recent national examples of large foreign donations routed to U.S. nonprofits that then funded state ballot activity. \"This is a common sense [measure] that we should want to prevent foreign interference in our elections and our campaigns,\" Landry said, noting a University of Maryland poll showing broad bipartisan support for banning foreign spending on ballot measures.

Jason Snead of the Honest Elections Project testified in support, citing a gap in federal law that makes ballot measures vulnerable to foreign funding. Snead identified the 16.30 Fund and described how foreign funding has been used to influence state ballot activity in several states; he urged prompt action to prevent similar influence in Louisiana.

Committee members asked whether the amendment’s language—referring to \"noncitizen(s)\"—might unintentionally affect legally present noncitizen residents, volunteers or other civic participants. Landry and other proponents said the statutory companion bill under consideration in the House would provide implementation details, penalties and clarify that the onus to return or refund contributions would fall on the recipient once actual notice is received. Sponsors and proponents characterized the amendment as targeting contributions of funds, goods or monetized services from foreign nationals, not ordinary volunteer activity.

Supporters from advocacy groups including Heritage Action also testified in favor. Senators asked staff to review constitutional language and the statutory companion to ensure precise framing of \"noncitizen\" versus \"not a citizen of the United States.\" The committee moved SB 109 forward on a motion to report favorably as amended; the transcript shows the motion carried without objection.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate & Governmental Apr 23, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Bill 109, a proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit non‑U.S. citizens and foreign entities from contributing funds, goods or services to influence Louisiana elections or ballot measures, was reported favorably after testimony from the secretary of state and outside groups.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature LA, Louisiana","taxId",78558,"location","Louisiana","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6264385,"Secretary of State backs bill defining exit polling, limiting 600‑foot zone interviews to bona fide news organizations",1238,1389000,2627000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3096568-ecdd4bc314c029d0df149fa059a8eeaa&start=1389&end=2627","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3096568-ecdd4bc314c029d0df149fa059a8eeaa/thumbnail_1389000.jpg","/articles/6264385/Louisiana/Secretary-of-State-backs-bill-defining-exit-polling-limiting-600foot-zone-interviews-to-bona-fide-news-organizations","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6264385-9cab7709aed0b7f8330d37dc04282825/orig.mp4?Expires=1770936580&Signature=WtVZfZPR6pl-dzjLhAe7mzKRgrH~GtYNtlLGV8xOy-1uylngCBUR6m0RwHzaGZydahZzJIrtkTI7QGKMc48xEKrBrPdUlB9hOO3osnonYq9iZjy5TgXyRdbE0ZQd5Eg~mAw4n4-MAhS-QROfmGpTItI-TAdIBgB0-10zA1cHUP~PoHcK22AGLo~SWACQ6xmQIez-hymGE31ZcsOI1JPRAj90XEXbUKAQ~FFquZuaw0swt0UahYguu6Ckjr6tGXo1pJB6HWvTZP3Av5VKhaegPbElY-92AmZubcQV0bG58s4F9SUy8DKoCifXb1kv9PEYZkV6y673AYTvgRdvqD9kVg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 80, a measure to define \"exit polling\" and to limit exit polling inside the 600‑foot electioneering zone to bona fide news organizations, was reported favorably by the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs on April 23, 2025.

Nancy Landry, Louisiana’s Secretary of State, presented the bill and said it clarifies that exit polling within the 600‑foot no‑electioneering zone must be conducted by bona fide news‑gathering organizations, must concern the issues on the current ballot or demographic information and must be non‑disruptive. \"This bill clarifies that only bona fide news media organizations can conduct exit polling within the 600 foot zone and also states that the exit polling must be about the issues on the current ballot,\" Landry told the committee.

Landry said the proposal responds to a recent incident in which an organization set up what officials described as a demonstration outside a polling place and used the guise of an exit poll to ask questions unrelated to ballot matters and to recruit members; officials removed the group from the immediate polling area but chose to address the issue legislatively rather than by arrest. The bill includes an amendment (Amendment 7‑83) providing a statutory definition of \"bona fide news‑gathering organization,\" adopting language consistent with the public records law.

Opposition testimony came from Bert Cali of We the People Northwest and Citizens and Our Constitution, who argued the bill would restrict free speech and freedom of association. Cali read court rulings in support of his position and said the group he represented had used a written form to register an exit poll and that participation was voluntary; the transcript records his contention that 209 voters were contacted at three precincts and 174 participated in a survey about paper ballots.

Sherry Wharton Hatzke, the commissioner of elections, told the committee that historically exit polls are more common in federal elections and that organizations such as Edison Media Research have registered to conduct exit polls in previous cycles. Committee members asked whether independent creators or citizen journalists could qualify under the proposed definition; Landry and Hatzke said the statutory definition is intended to capture organizations that are actively engaged in news gathering, and registration with the secretary of state's office is part of the process.

Senators voiced concern about preserving First Amendment protections while keeping polling places free of disruptive demonstrations. The committee adopted the sponsor’s amendment to tighten the definition and then reported the bill favorably on a motion by Senator Carter; the transcript records the measure as reported favorably with no objection.","Senate Bill 80, which would limit exit polling inside the 600‑foot electioneering zone to bona fide news‑gathering organizations and require polls to be non‑disruptive and related to ballot items, was reported favorably after testimony from the secretary of state and election officials and opposition testimony citing free‑speech concerns.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6264390,"Committee clears local bill letting Alexandria treat certain power-utility data as commercially sensitive",357,919000,1276000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3096568-ecdd4bc314c029d0df149fa059a8eeaa&start=919&end=1276","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3096568-ecdd4bc314c029d0df149fa059a8eeaa/thumbnail_919000.jpg","/articles/6264390/Louisiana/Committee-clears-local-bill-letting-Alexandria-treat-certain-power-utility-data-as-commercially-sensitive","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6264390-6abd56cea615c25e2bdcda13a6cecc57/orig.mp4?Expires=1770936580&Signature=iWSzhgy5xBWtDH54l~x6iZRsU3cFuvhKFYnPDHUMttv7IZ6FKc2f8pIVOFxAi9P9yL5qA0Vkk8nOG9UihDfoVPicRhLbMIzNEPCuS8drjAGutqymTImUr7SYLZ1jBDynfYS7OhpGOavmz8QfDlZ-I2Agapwg0wBUsSgNyC3v28MAFByJc6qLcl0WdOUx6gmzKv5-iS5Nrk3Lk~lEpXHmf0cOpnz8EIgQTsz-cYV5Y-VU2t06RLoPmvldUsrXk9rT2H~RV3TTrL0xOgBZBxzNa6zSdtdsXqSQGsA6yxVYHrJ4ZHzn22K4dmyXA71p0MiDaheoowTm8gkvpv17vHlnrg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 51, a local bill to extend a public‑records exception to the City of Alexandria’s municipally owned utility, was reported favorably by the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs on April 23, 2025.

Senator Luna presented the bill as a local measure properly advertised for the city of Alexandria. Jacques Roy, mayor of Alexandria, told the committee that current Louisiana law (La. R.S. 44:3.3) already protects \"commercially sensitive information\" for public power authorities but defines those authorities as political subdivisions created under Title 33. Because Alexandria operates its utility as an enterprise fund within the city charter rather than as a separately created political subdivision, the city does not clearly fall under the existing exception. \"We simply want to add the City of Alexandria to the exception,\" Roy said, adding the change would not withhold standard public records such as contracts or rate ordinances.

Roy described Alexandria’s utility as an owner/operator that generates power (including Wartsila engines and a share of Bayou Cove) and said the city competes in a market where disclosure of resource plans, generation portfolios or other commercially sensitive planning details could disadvantage the utility. Senator Carter asked for confirmation that billing and rate information would remain public; the mayor and sponsor said rates set by ordinance and other standard public records would remain accessible.

Committee members expressed concern about public‑records access but acknowledged the bill’s narrow scope. The committee moved SB 51 forward on a motion by Senator Carter; the transcript records the motion to report the bill favorably and no objection was recorded on the floor of the committee.

Votes at a glance: motion to report SB 51 favorably moved by Senator Carter; reported favorably by voice/no objection on April 23, 2025.","The committee reported Senate Bill 51 favorably; the measure would add the City of Alexandria to an existing public-records exception for commercially sensitive information held by public power authorities.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6264393,"Senate panel advances bill requiring legislative review of costly administrative rules",745,146000,891000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3096568-ecdd4bc314c029d0df149fa059a8eeaa&start=146&end=891","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3096568-ecdd4bc314c029d0df149fa059a8eeaa/thumbnail_146000.jpg","/articles/6264393/Louisiana/Senate-panel-advances-bill-requiring-legislative-review-of-costly-administrative-rules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6264393-44a446d2e51baf91093b6a2975287b07/orig.mp4?Expires=1770936580&Signature=f0SJVtDOifjDmS-6oO5hEG12J4oBYSU3Df4U~oLbAX-FEu6CzIagJbOGeYZ8tm1lFYluPYQKxk5c7EFpkEAO5mGPl-mYPNjbhRpJjOVMU5UDcUnZNFivknKkbBuokJcmhbmp~Tl0WyQ6vrjYau8pdDCs9VVTty2nig5Wyf8nVKccGWqyVqJJ37O9XFYgYgUTAqcyY~EFj2vtyyiBHA4sGDhYF~0je9UMh96yNf56n1RLmZzqSdQe14aCSzQrggJZ-h-pgQOscH0OTJI3mrBYnxeMeVA0q5cG3oDKR~a8JArWfY1GL7hZX7j5HnEtA1tMpT6Gem3BZ46if7Uvnaf6~Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 59, a proposal to require legislative review of expensive agency rulemakings under the Administrative Procedure Act, was reported favorably by the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs on April 23, 2025.

The bill’s sponsor, Senator Reese, told the committee the measure is model legislation adopted in other states that would give the legislature an opportunity to review rules that carry substantial economic costs. He offered an amendment removing emergency rulemaking from the bill’s additional oversight, which the committee adopted without objection. \"What this amendment does is removes from my bill any of the additional oversight in the emergency rulemaking process,\" Reese said, explaining that emergency rules could impede rapid action during disasters.

The committee heard supportive testimony from national and state policy groups. Alan Cambon of FGA Action said the measure \"puts the legislature back in control of major policy decisions that have a fiscal impact,\" arguing that similar policies in Florida and Wisconsin have forced agencies to rework expensive rules. Scott Simon of Americans for Prosperity said the policy increases predictability for small businesses and that, in Florida, only a small portion of rules hit the statutory triggers. Daniel Erst Palmer, identified as CEO of the Pelican Institute for Public Policy, also spoke in support and tied the bill to efforts to streamline government.

Under the amended bill, the legislative fiscal office must determine when a proposed rule imposes an economic cost that triggers review; subject-matter committees in the House and Senate would then have the opportunity to meet separately or jointly to approve or disapprove the rule. Reese described threshold examples during committee discussion (figures mentioned in testimony included a $200,000 trigger in one year and multi‑year thresholds), but the committee record does not supply a single, definitive numeric text to quote as the enacted trigger in the statute language at this stage.

Committee members asked about effects on agency operations and whether the executive branch had concerns. Reese said consultations with the administration produced the change removing emergency rule oversight from the bill and noted a \"relief valve\": if a committee of jurisdiction declines to hold an oversight hearing, the governor may approve promulgation in writing with an explanation, allowing necessary rules to proceed.

The committee moved the bill forward on a motion by Senator Carter to report it favorably as amended; members indicated no objections on the record and the bill was reported out.

Votes at a glance: motion to report SB 59 favorably as amended moved by Senator Carter; outcome recorded on the transcript as reported favorably by voice/no objection. No roll-call tally was recorded in committee minutes.","The Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs reported Senate Bill 59 favorably after testimony that the measure would require legislative review of agency rules estimated to impose significant economic costs under the Administrative Procedure Act.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee backs constitutional amendment to bar foreign funding of state elections and ballot measures

Secretary of State backs bill defining exit polling, limiting 600‑foot zone interviews to bona fide news organizations

Committee clears local bill letting Alexandria treat certain power-utility data as commercially sensitive

Senate panel advances bill requiring legislative review of costly administrative rules