Voters can get some help figuring out the six proposed amendments to the Louisiana Constitution on the November 8 ballot.

The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana (PAR) has released its guide to the 2016 amendments to help us better understand exactly what will happen if we vote "yes" or "no."

PAR says Amendments 2, 3 and 5 are particularly significant because of their impace on state policy. They address who will set college tuition levels, the rate and deductions for corporate income taxes, and a new trust fund to address state revenue surges.

PAR typically releases one of these guides any time there are proposed amendments on the ballot. The guide is strictly educational and does not tell you how to vote.

Typically, constitutional amendments are proposed to authorize new programs, ensure that reforms are not easliy undone by future legislation or seek protections for special interests. Unfortunately, as more detail is placed in the Constitution, more amendments may be required when conditions change or problems arise with earlier provisions. Since its implementation in 1974, the Louisiana Constitution has been amended 183 times.

 

Through the House Committee on Civil Law and Procedure, the Legislature tries to make certain that each proposed amendment does, in fact, need to be posed to voters. The Legislature also has tried to make it easier for voters to determine what a given amendment would do if approved by requiring that the ballot language be written in a "clear, concise and unbiased" manner and that it be phrased in the form of a question.

CLICK HERE to take a look at the PAR Guide.

More From News Radio 710 KEEL