BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana House shot down a bill by only three votes Wednesday that sought to create a lifetime limit of two terms as governor.

House Bill 225 by Rep. Michael Bayham, R-Chalmette, would have asked voters to amend the state Constitution to set the limit on Louisiana’s most powerful government officials.

Governors now may serve only two consecutive terms but can be elected again if they sit out a term in between.

Bayham’s proposal aimed to place Louisiana in line with nine other states, including Arkansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma, that already adhere to the two-term lifetime limit.

Rep. Kyle Green Jr., D-Marrero, questioned Bayham on whether the restriction would have affected former governors or would have applied only to future governors.

Bayham said that the bill would encompass all former and future governors, including the current governor, Jeff Landry, a Republican.

There are only two living former governors in Louisiana who would have fit the limitation – Bobby Jindal, a Republican, and John Bel Edwards, a Democrat.

Edwards has not expressed interest in running for public office again, though he has said he has not ruled it out. Some Democrats saw Bayham’s bill as an attempt to keep Edwards from challenging Landry in 2027.

The longest-serving governor in Louisiana’s history was the late Edwin Edwards, who served four terms overall.

Proposed constitutional amendments require approval of two-thirds of the 105 House members, or 70 votes, to pass. Bayham’s bill, which would have applied to anyone serving at least one and one-half consecutive terms as governor, was defeated 67-22.

Bayham could bring the bill back for consideration later. Rep. Mandie Landry, D-New Orleans, compared the proposed restriction to that imposed on the seat of the U.S. president, calling the bill a “good bill.”

“We have plenty of talented people and [people] of ability to serve as executive of this state,” Bayham told representatives.
Bayham said term limits are one of the most pressing issues in Louisiana.

“When legislative term limits were brought up in 1995, 76% of the state voted for this amendment,” said Bayham. “I believe the people of this state will support this amendment.”