HB 249 (Louisiana, 2026) – Elected Officials/Compensation (Constitutional Amendment)
Overview
- Purpose: Establish a constitutional framework to set and automatically adjust the salaries and other compensation of elected state officials through a new Compensation Commission. The bill creates an automatic adjustment mechanism at the start of each new term, tied to changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The intent is to provide a standardized, inflation-adjusted method for determining official compensation.
Key Provisions
- Creation of Compensation Commission: The bill would establish a distinct body—the Compensation Commission—responsible for determining the salary and other compensation for elected state officials.
- Scope of Compensation: The Commission’s purview includes the salaries and “other compensation” for elected officials. Specific categories of compensation (e.g., allowances, per diem, benefits) would be subject to review and adjustment as defined by constitutional amendment and subsequent statute.
- Automatic Adjustment Trigger: Beginning with the start of each new term of office, compensation would be automatically adjusted in accordance with changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The exact CPI measure and adjustment methodology would be defined (or elaborated) in the constitutional text and any implementing legislation.
- Constitutional Amendment: As a constitutional amendment, the changes would require ratification by voters to take effect. The amendment would embed the Commission’s authority and the automatic CPI-based adjustment mechanism in the Louisiana Constitution.
- Administrative and Implementation Details: The bill would specify the process for appointing Commission members, qualifications, term lengths, meeting requirements, public transparency (e.g., public meetings and data), and the mechanism for implementing adjustments (likely including notification periods and effective dates aligned with term commencements).
Who would be Affected
- Elected State Officials: Salaries and “other compensation” for all Louisiana statewide elected officials (e.g., governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, and auditor), and potentially other statewide offices as defined by the constitutional amendment.
- General Public/Taxpayers: By tying compensation to CPI, the bill introduces an inflation-sensitive mechanism, which could influence state budget planning, fiscal transparency, and public perceptions of official compensation levels.
- State Agencies/Budget Process: Annual or term-beginning adjustments would affect the state budget process, requiring periodic adjustments to compensation lines in the executive and legislative budgeting cycles.
Procedural and Timeline Aspects
- Status: Read by title and referred to the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs (as of 2026-03-09). Previously referred provisionally (2026-02-20).
- Next Steps: The Committee would review, hold hearings, and may amend before reporting the bill to the full House. If approved, the measure would go to the voters in a statewide referendum to amend the Louisiana Constitution.
- Effective Date: Pending constitutional adoption; once ratified by voters, the automatic CPI-based adjustment would apply at the beginning of each new term of office as defined by the amended constitution.
Notes
- Fiscal note reference: The summary mentions “OR SEE FISC NOTE GF EX,” suggesting a fiscal impact note may accompany the bill or provide additional context on GF (General Fund) implications. The exact fiscal impact would be clarified in the official fiscal note attached to the bill.
- Co-sponsor: Kyle Green
Summary in brief
HB 249 proposes a constitutional amendment to create a Compensation Commission to establish and periodically adjust, via automatic CPI-based increases at the start of each new term, the salaries and other compensation of Louisiana’s elected officials. If enacted by voters, the commission would govern compensation levels and adjustments, with changes implemented through the state budget process after constitutional ratification.
