Slavery ban could go before La. voters again

By Greg LaRose
Contributing Writer

(lailluminator.com) — The lawmaker who last year suggested a change to the Louisiana Constitution to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude — and then asked voters to reject it — has revised his proposal this session.

House Bill 221, from Rep. Edmond Jordan, D-Baton Rouge, cleared a major legislative hurdle last Monday when it cleared the House of Representatives with a 98-0 vote. His proposal specifies “the prohibition of involuntary servitude shall not prohibit an inmate from being required to work when the inmate has been duly convicted of a crime.”

There was an attempt to make a similar change last year when the bill was debated on the House floor. The word “except” was added to its ballot language regarding the “otherwise lawful administration of criminal justice.” Proponents had a problem with “except” being put in the same sentence as “slavery is prohibited.”

The House Democratic Caucus, which had originally backed the proposal, pulled its support, as did groups that advocate for the incarcerated and the ACLU of Louisiana. More than 60 percent of voters statewide rejected the constitutional amendment last November.

If the Senate approves Jordan’s measure this session, it would be put before voters Oct. 14.

This article originally published in the May 29, 2023 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.