State lawmakers last year received the final version of a package of complex budget bills with less than an hour to consider and vote on them before the end of the legislative session.

The rushed process caused chaos: In the House, lawmakers yelled at the speaker, demanding to know what was in the bills. In the Senate, members felt blindsided by a $100 million cut to the state Department of Health.

In the end, Parliament approved the final bill four minutes early.

Today, the Legislature is asking Louisianans to pass two constitutional amendments intended to slow the process and give lawmakers time to understand what they’re voting on.

Rep. Tony Bacala, R-Prairieville, proposed the bills — now Law 406 And Law 407 — who passed Amendments 2 and 3. Voters will decide Dec. 7 whether they become law.

Amendment 2 would require the Legislature to wait 48 hours after lawmakers receive amendments to appropriations bills, along with a summary of the proposed changes, before taking a final vote on them.

Amendment 3, aimed at helping the Legislature comply with this requirement, would allow lawmakers to vote to extend the session for up to six days. They could only act on appropriations bills during this extended period.

“I never, ever want to vote on $50 billion in spending when I don’t know what I’m voting on,” Bacala said when introducing his proposal at an April meeting of the House and Government Affairs Committee.

Bacala spoke about what happened in 2023, saying he was “embarrassed as a legislator that we have such stupidity.”

Each year, the Legislature must pass a package of appropriations bills outlining the state budget before the end of the regular legislative session so that the government can continue to operate. This package starts in the House, then heads to the Senate after the House votes to move it forward.

The Senate then amends the bills and votes to pass the package. At this point, the House can “approve” the changes, giving final approval to the budget. If the House does not agree, the bills are referred to a conference committee.

This committee is made up of three senators and three members of the House, who develop a final version of the file and send it back to both chambers for approval.

The 2023 budget bills have been referred to a conference committee, where negotiations typically take place in private. The bills were sent back to the House and Senate at the last minute, sparking accusations of backroom negotiations.

If the Legislature does not pass the appropriations bills before the end of the session, it must meet in special session and start the process again.

In an interview, Bacala said the amendments would prevent lawmakers “(from) using the calendar to force a yes vote to avoid a special session.”

Bacala’s proposals passed almost unanimously in the House and Senate.