Louisiana legislators decided Tuesday not to return to Baton Rouge later this week to attempt to override Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoes of 29 bills during the recent legislative session, our media partners at The Advocate report.
Lawmakers had until midnight Tuesday to send in ballots saying they saw no need for the override session. Twenty-five senators and 39 representatives sent in ballots saying no session was necessary, according to legislative staffers. The Senate's 25 votes is more than the 20 necessary needed to cancel the override session, which was scheduled to begin at noon Saturday. The House, with 39 ballots, came up far short of the 53 necessary to call off the session. But to override a veto requires two-thirds majorities in both chambers: 70 in the House and 26 in the Senate, the Advocate reports.
The newspaper reports that Senate President Page Cortez, R-Lafayette, and House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, R-Gonzales, issued a letter saying the veto session would not be held. Cortez voted not to hold the session. Schexnayder didn't vote, which means he favored returning for an override session.
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