HB 249

HLS 26RS-875  ORIGINAL
 2026 Regular Session
 HOUSE BILL NO. 249
 BY REPRESENTATIVE GREEN
 ELECTED OFFICIALS/COMP: (Constitutional Amendment) Creates a compensation
  commission to provide for the salary and other compensation of elected officials and
  provides for an automatic adjustment at the beginning of each new term of office
  based upon increase in the consumer price index
1A JOINT RESOLUTION
2 Proposing to amend Article III, Section 4(G) of the Constitution of Louisiana and Article IV,
3Sections 4 and 21(F) of the Constitution of Louisiana and to add Article X, Section
423.1 of the Constitution of Louisiana, relative to the salary and other compensation
5for certain elected officials; to provide for the creation of a compensation
6commission to examine, evaluate, and establish the salary and other compensation
7for certain elected officials; to provide for the effectiveness of compensation
8increases; to provide for increases in accordance with increases in the Consumer
9Price Index and duties of the legislative auditor relative thereto; to provide for
10submission of the proposed amendment to the electors; and to provide for related
11matters.
12Section 1. Be it resolved by the Legislature of Louisiana, two-thirds of the members
13 elected to each house concurring, that there shall be submitted to the electors of the state of
14 Louisiana, for their approval or rejection in the manner provided by law, a proposal to
15 amend Article III, Section 4(G) of the Constitution of Louisiana, to read as follows:
16§4.    Qualifications; Residence and Domicile Requirements; Term; Election
17Limitations; Vacancies; Temporary Successors; Salary
18Section 4.
19*       *  *
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1(G) Salary limitation. Any increase in salary of any member of the
2legislature shall not become effective until the commencement of the subsequent
3term for that office following the adoption or enactment of the increase as provided
4in Article X, Section 23.1 of this constitution.
5Section 2. Be it resolved by the Legislature of Louisiana, two-thirds of the members
6 elected to each house concurring, that there shall be submitted to the electors of the state of
7 Louisiana, for their approval or rejection in the manner provided by law, a proposal to
8 amend Article IV, Sections 4 and 21(F) of the Constitution of Louisiana, to read as follows:
9§4. Compensation
10Section 4.      Except as otherwise provided by this constitution, the
11compensation of each statewide elected official shall be established as provided by
12law. An increase in the salary of a statewide elected official shall not become
13effective until the commencement of the subsequent term for that office following
14the adoption or enactment of the increase as provided in Article X, Section 23.1 of
15this constitution.
16*       *  *
17§21. Public Service Commission
18Section 21.
19*       *  *
20(F) Salary limitation. Any increase in salary provided by law for the
21commission shall not become effective for a member members of the commission
22until the commencement of the term of office for the a member of the commission
23following the enactment of the increase as provided in Article X, Section 23.1 of this
24constitution.
25Section 3. Be it resolved by the Legislature of Louisiana, two-thirds of the members
26 elected to each house concurring, that there shall be submitted to the electors of the state of
27 Louisiana, for their approval or rejection in the manner provided by law, a proposal to add
28 Article X, Section 23.1 of the Constitution of Louisiana, to read as follows:
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1§23.1. Compensation Commission
2Section 23.1. Compensation Commission. (A) Composition and Terms.
3The compensation commission shall be established as an independent office within
4the office of the legislative auditor except that the legislative auditor shall provide
5staff support to the commission in the manner as requested and directed by the
6commission. The compensation commission shall be composed of not more than
7fifteen members who shall be selected in the manner provided by law. The members
8of the compensation commission shall serve one ten-year term of office, after which
9term the compensation commission shall cease to exist.
10(B) Powers and Duties. In the manner provided in Paragraph (C) of this
11Section and by law, the compensation commission shall examine, evaluate, and
12establish the salary and other compensation for each elected official whose salary or
13other compensation is established pursuant to statutory law as of January 1, 2026.
14(C) Compensation. (1) The compensation commission shall complete a
15comprehensive review and evaluation of the salary and other compensation for each
16office or class of offices within its purview and shall establish the salary and other
17compensation in accordance with its review and evaluation.
18(2) The compensation commission shall publish the salary and other
19compensation amount for an office or class of offices no later than January fifteenth
20of the last full calendar year of the term of office for that office or in the case of a
21class offices with staggered terms of office, no later than January fifteenth of the last
22full calendar year of the term of office following the commission's review and
23evaluation of that class of offices. The change in compensation for an office or class
24of offices shall become effective at the beginning of the subsequent term. In the case
25of a class of offices with staggered terms, the change in compensation for that entire
26class of offices shall become effective at the beginning of first term of an office
27within the class following the establishment of the salary or other compensation.
28(3) After the salary and other compensation for an office or class of offices
29has been established as provided in this Paragraph, the salary and other
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1compensation shall be adjusted each subsequent term of office to reflect increases
2in the Consumer Price Index as provided in this Subparagraph. When there has been
3an increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, U.S. city average
4(CPI-U) during the term of an elected office whose salary and other compensation
5was established by the compensation commission, the legislative auditor shall
6compute and publish an adjustment in the salary and other compensation for each
7office or class of offices in accordance with the growth rate of the CPI-U, not
8seasonally adjusted, as prepared by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau
9of Labor Statistics for the preceding calendar years of the respective term of office,
10rounding the adjusted salary and other compensation to the nearest whole dollar.
11The adjusted salary and other compensation shall become effective in the manner
12provided in Subparagraph (2) of this Paragraph.
13(D) Funding. The legislature shall make adequate annual appropriations for
14the compensation commission to enable the commission to fulfill its duties
15efficiently and effectively until the commission ceases to exist.
16Section 4. Be it further resolved that this proposed amendment shall be submitted
17 to the electors of the state of Louisiana at the statewide election to be held on November 3,
18 2026.
19Section 5. Be it further resolved that on the official ballot to be used at the election,
20 there shall be printed a proposition, upon which the electors of the state shall be permitted
21 to vote YES or NO, to amend the Constitution of Louisiana, which proposition shall read as
22 follows:
23Do you support an amendment to establish an independent compensation
24commission within the legislative auditor's office to examine, evaluate, and establish
25the salary and other compensation of elected officials whose salary or other
26compensation is established pursuant to statutory law; to provide for the legislative
27auditor to compute adjustments in accordance with increases in the Consumer Price
28Index; and to provide that an increase in compensation established by the
29commission or computed by the legislative auditor is effective at the beginning of
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HLS 26RS-875  ORIGINAL
  HB NO. 249
1a subsequent term of office? (Amends Article III, Section 4(G) and Article IV,
2Sections 4 and 21(F); Adds Article X, Section 23.1))
  DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 249 Original  2026 Regular Session  Green
Abstract: Requires the legislature to provide by law for and adequately fund an
  independent compensation commission to examine, evaluate, and establish the salary
  and other compensation for elected officials whose salary or other compensation is
  established pursuant to statute; provides that any increase established by the
  commission shall become effective at the beginning of the subsequent term of office
  in that class of offices; and requires the legislative auditor to adjust the salary and
  compensation in accordance with the CPI each term.
Proposed constitutional amendment establishes a compensation commission as an
independent office within the office of the legislative auditor and requires the legislative
auditor to provide staff support to the commission. Requires the legislature to make
adequate annual appropriations for the compensation commission to fulfill its duties
efficiently and effectively. Provides that the commission is composed as provided by law
of not more than 15 members who serve one 10-year term, after which the commission
ceases to exist. Requires the commission to examine, evaluate, and establish the salary and
other compensation for each elected official whose salary or other compensation is
established pursuant to present law as of Jan. 1, 2026.
Proposed constitutional amendment requires the commission to complete a comprehensive
review and evaluation of the salary and other compensation for each office or class of offices
within its purview at least once.
Proposed constitutional amendment requires the commission to publish its salary and
compensation amount for an office no later than Jan. 15th of the last full calendar year of the
term of office for that office. Provides that the change in salary and compensation for an
office shall become effective at the beginning of the subsequent term of office for that office.
Makes specific provisions for classes of offices with staggered terms. Further requires the
legislative auditor, when there has been an increase in the Consumer Price Index for All
Urban Consumers, U.S. city average (CPI-U) during the term of an elected office within its
purview, to adjust the salary and other compensation of each office or class of offices in
accordance with the growth rate of the CPI-U, not seasonally adjusted, as prepared by the
U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics for the preceding calendar years of the
respective term of office, rounding the adjusted salary and other compensation to the nearest
whole dollar.
Present constitution provides that any increase in salary of any member of the legislature
shall not become effective until the commencement of the subsequent term for that office
following the adoption or enactment of the increase and provides that an increase in the
salary of a statewide elected official shall not become effective until the commencement of
the subsequent term for that office following the adoption or enactment of the increase.
Further provides that any increase in salary provided by law for the Public Service
Commission shall not become effective for a member of the commission until the
commencement of the term of office for the member of the commission following the
enactment of the increase.
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Proposed constitutional amendment provides instead that the increase for legislators and
statewide elected officials shall not become effective until the commencement of the
subsequent term for those offices following the increase as provided in the provisions of the
proposed constitutional amendment. Proposed constitutional amendment provides the
increase shall not become effective for members of the public service commission until the
commencement of the term of office for a member of the commission following the
establishment of the change in salary and other compensation.
Present constitution provides that the compensation of an elected official shall not be
decreased during the term office. Proposed constitutional amendment retains present
constitution.
Provides for submission of the proposed amendment to the voters at the statewide election
to be held November 3, 2026.
(Amends Const. Art. III, §4(G) and Art. IV, §§4 and 21(F); Adds Const. Art. X, §23.1)
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