Two Bills Vetoed by Governor Edwards Face a Legislative Override

Louisiana's Speaker of the House Clay Schexnayder talks about the probability of a legislative veto session and the specific laws vetoed by Governor Edwards they hope to overturn.

The veto session, which is scheduled to begin on July 20, would take a look at two Edwards' vetoes, the gun rights bill known as Constitutional Carry and a law mandating that athletes can only compete in sports consistent with their biological sex.

The Constitutional Carry bill, SB 118, “removes the requirement for law-abiding individuals to obtain a concealed handgun permit before being allowed to carry concealed, a handgun for self-defense."

The other, SB 156, known as the Fairness in Women's Sports Act, would have required athletic teams or sporting events for women at public institutions be composed only of "biological females."

Here's what Speaker Schexnayder told KEEL about the session:

"It's the first time in history that we've actually acted on the Constitution and come back in for a veto session," says the Speaker, referring to its historic nature, "We've overridden vetoes before, but it occurred while we were in session."

"I think this year you see two bills that our constituents are concerned about. One is the Constitutional Carry and the other is, what I call, the Protecting Women's (Sports) Bill.

"I think the overwhelming majority, especially in my district, roughly 75% of my district supported that (Women's Sports) bill. That's the one people are making the most noise about."

Schexnayder adds that his conversations with leaders on the Senate side lead him to believe that the the Upper Chamber has votes to override Edwards and that the votes of both houses to hold the special session gives every indication that the numbers to overturn the vetoes are there.