Republican megadonor pushing for last-minute constitutional convention

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BATON ROUGE — Major Republican donor Lane Grigsby told the Baton Rouge Press Club on Monday that he wants a last-minute constitutional convention.

Grigsby said he believes the state constitution does not need any amendments but it needs to be refreshed.

“It’s long, it’s cluttered, and it contains far too much policy. We don’t have a constitution really,” Grigsby said.

Louisiana has changed its constitution 10 times since it was first written in 1812, with the most recent coming in 1974.

Grigsby suggests there should be another look at the Constitution, despite a failed effort by a House Democrat in the legislature that would have allowed for a convention.

“I do not believe that amending the constitution is what we should do. That’s what we’ve been doing. What I’m suggesting is that we refresh the constitution by taking everything that’s policy and be in statute and moving it to statute,” Grigsby said.

Grigsby wants the state legislature to move forward on a constitutional convention soon so residents can vote during the presidential election in November.