(RepublicanPress.org) – Louisiana’s Republican Gov. Jeff Laundry promised to make the state safe again while campaigning for office in 2023. He called the state assembly into an “extraordinary session” for two weeks to address mounting crime.
Attorney General Liz Murrill (R) addressed lawmakers during the special session’s first day of operations on February 19. She spoke of the gravity of the situation, reminding lawmakers that Louisiana had the nation’s highest rate of violent crime in 2021. Likewise, she noted that three of the state’s cities were listed in America’s top 10 most dangerous ones in 2022. Sadly, she also confirmed that more children were murdered in New Orleans in 2023 than at any other time in the past decade.
On February 29, lawmakers concluded the governor’s crime special session. Landry issued a statement applauding the assembly’s work. He vowed that the “good citizens of Louisiana who work hard and play by the rules” would no longer have to live in fear. He recently signed several of the session’s new measures into law.
Louisiana Governor Signs New Legislation
On March 5, Landry held a signing ceremony for 11 bills passed by lawmakers during their special legislative session on crime. For instance, he signed SB 1: Constitutional Carry into law, making Louisiana the nation’s 28th constitutional/permitless carry state. The measure recognized the right of law-abiding adults to carry concealed firearms without obtaining a government permit.
Landry also signed HB 6: Justice for Victims into law. The law adds electrocution and the use of nitrogen gas as methods of carrying out executions in the state. Supporters of the new law said it was about time Louisiana lawmakers took action to fulfill the contractual obligations between victims’ families and the state after juries handed down death sentences. Opponents questioned whether the new means of carrying out death sentences violated constitutional prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment.
Other measures the governor signed included bills to preserve assault prosecutions, expand access to drug courts, and reform post-conviction procedures. Landry also signed new laws governing penalties for probation and parole violations, truth in sentencing, offender rehabilitation, and DUI penalties.
On March 6, Landry signed the lawmakers’ remaining bills into law. They covered various topics, such as increased transparency within the state’s criminal justice system, juvenile justice system reforms, and improved immunity for law enforcement officials performing their duties. The laws also included updated statutes regarding carjacking and fentanyl possession and distribution.
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