| Good Morning, The 2021 regular session of the Louisiana Legislature officially ended last week when Gov. John Bel Edwards signed 477 bills and vetoed 28 measures passed by lawmakers between April 12 and June 10. The possibility of lawmakers returning to Baton Rouge on July 20 for an historic veto session loomed larger when Senate President Page Cortez joined House Speaker Clay Schexnayder in voicing the possibility over disappointment in Edwards’ refusal to ban transgender youth from participating in organized sports during their kindergarten through 12th grade years in public schools. A main base-energizing issue for national Republicans, Louisiana proponents say a law is needed to protect young female athletes from having to compete with athletes who were born as males but identify as females. Opponents point out that Louisiana High School Athletics Association, which oversees school sports, already has policies in place that prevent unfair advantages in athletic competition. Edwards noted that issue has never arisen in Louisiana and added in his veto: “This bill will not be signed into law because it is targeted, unfairly, at children. This legislation will make life more difficult for children who are going through unique challenges gaining acceptance into their schools, communities, and some even their own families.” Additionally, the NCAA has suggested that championship events, starting with the 2022 Men’s Basketball Final Four, would go elsewhere if legislation that discriminates against transgender people becomes law. The 2019 Final Four boosted Minneapolis’s economy by $143 million and the event likely would have a bigger impact on tourism-dependent New Orleans, where that sector of the economy hasn’t rebounded yet from the COVID-19 pandemic. Senate Bill 156, called the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act and sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Beth Mizell, a St. Tammany Parish Republican who lives outside of Franklinton, passed the state Senate on a vote of 29-6, and the Louisiana House by 78-19. Both counts are more than what are needed to overturn a gubernatorial veto. Though only a majority is necessary to reconvene in a veto session, the House needs 70 votes and the Senate 26 votes to turn SB156 into Chapter 7-A of Title 4 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes without the governor’s help. Much of the leadership’s threats of a veto override took place as Edwards was making final decisions on bills that allowed people to carry concealed weapons without a permit, tightened elections law, and whether to divert motor vehicles sales taxes from the fund that pays operating expenses to a fund that only will pay for roads and bridges. The Legislature has twice overturned a governor’s veto in the past, but both votes occurred while lawmakers were still at the State Capitol. Legislators have never returned to Baton Rouge to hold a veto session. The other big news today is that William F. Tate IV begins his tenure Tuesday morning as the LSU system president and the LSU A&M campus chancellor. He’s starting off with a press conference. As always, check throughout the day for the latest Louisiana political news at theadvocate.com/politics or NOLA.com/politics and on Twitter at @MarkBallardCNB, @tegbridges, @samkarlin, @blakepater, @WillSentell. Here are a dozen articles, commentaries and editorials that will catch you up for the week to come. One last item: Thank you to our subscribers. Your support means a great deal to us. If you're not yet a subscriber, we’ve got a special offer you can check out here. – Mark Ballard | 
