The Louisiana Senate on Saturday passed Senate Bill 2, a companion measure to Senate Bill 1 that changes the statewide special election date for submitting proposed constitutional amendments to May 16, 2026. The bill passed final passage by a vote of 27-9.

Senate leadership and the presiding officer ruled on the floor that changing the statutory date for submitting constitutional amendments to the electorate by bill does not require a two-thirds vote, finding that the Constitution’s requirement for joint resolutions naming a statewide election does not impose a higher voting threshold on this procedural change. “Therefore, it's my ruling. It does not need, it only needs a majority vote,” the presiding officer said.

Senator Kleinpeter, the bill’s author, described SB 2 as a companion to SB 1 that “simply takes the constitutional amendments that was on the previous date of April 18 and now is moving it to the May election.” He said discussions with the treasurer’s office resolved concerns about timing for certifying bonds and the funding timeline for a previously proposed teacher pay raise.

Senator Boudreaux questioned whether the date change jeopardized the timing of a teacher pay raise tied to a proposed constitutional amendment. Kleinpeter replied that certification timelines are shorter than some feared and that the treasurer’s office indicated the change “has been cleared up” and would not jeopardize the funding or certification process.

Opponents repeated objections raised on SB 1, arguing SB 2 improperly alters constitutionally prescribed procedures and risks litigation. “Article 13, Section 1 of the Louisiana Constitution speaks specifically to constitutional amendments … there is no resolution before us this session,” Senator Jackson Andrews said, urging opposition on procedural grounds. Senator Jenkins likewise called the measure subject to constitutional and Voting Rights Act concerns.

The Senate passed SB 2 on final passage and sent it forward; the roll call recorded 27 ayes and 9 nays.