WGNO

First day of veto session shows narrow margins for override

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — On the first day of the veto override session, the Senate voted to override the veto on the transgender athlete bill, but the concealed carry bill fell short with some senators changing their earlier votes.

For the first time since the ’90s, the Senate has voted to override a governor’s veto. With 26 votes, the exact number needed to override, the transgender athlete bill advances to the House. Sen. Beth Mizell said the bill went through the full process during the session and had wide support.


“It’s saying a biological woman has a right to compete in sports against a biological woman. It couldn’t be more simple than that,” Sen. Mizell said.

Those against the bill echoed the governor’s veto message saying it is a solution in search of a problem and could put future tournaments in jeopardy in the state. Sen. Karen Carter Peterson brought up that hundreds of organizations and companies have opposed similar legislation in other states.

“Are we willing to squander away all the economic benefits our state would otherwise receive?,” Sen. Carter Peterson asked.

That bill will be decided by the House, where there could be another tight margin. 

Sen. Jay Morris brought his bill for reconsideration to allow concealed carry without a permit.

“Restrictions don’t hurt anyone but law-abiding citizens,” Sen. Morris said.

Despite having support during the session from conservative senators, some changed their minds since adjournment. Sen. Louie Bernard said his local officers helped him reflect further on the bill.

“When groups and individuals of law enforcement who have given their lives and dedicated their lives to this tell me that this creates yet another level of risk for them, I can’t ignore that,” Sen Bernard said.

That bill failed in the Senate with only 23 votes in support.

There is a discussion on whether the bills that failed to get the majority vote could be taken up again. Wednesday the House will begin reviewing House Bills that were vetoed and could decide the fate of the transgender athlete bill.