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Louisiana State Senate
| Louisiana State Senate | |
| General Information | |
| Party control: | Republican |
| Session start: | April 14, 2025 |
| Session end: | June 12, 2025 |
| Term length: | 4 years |
| Term limits: | 3 terms (12 years) |
| Redistricting: | Legislature-dominant |
| Salary: | $16,800/year; plus an additional $6,000/year as an unvouchered expense + per diem |
| Members | |
| Total: | 39 |
| Democrats: | 11 |
| Republicans: | 28 |
| Other: | 0 |
| Vacancies: | 0 |
| Leadership | |
| President: | Cameron Henry (R) |
| Maj. Leader: | Blake Miguez (R) |
| Min. Leader: | Gerald Boudreaux (D) |
| Elections | |
| Last election: | November 18, 2023 |
| Next election: | November 20, 2027 |
The Louisiana State Senate is the upper chamber of the Louisiana State Legislature. Alongside the Louisiana House of Representatives, it forms the legislative branch of the Louisiana state government and works alongside the governor of Louisiana to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the Louisiana State Senate include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.
The Louisiana State Senate meets in the state capitol building in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
This page contains the following information on the Louisiana State Senate.
- Which party controls the chamber
- The chamber's current membership
- Partisan control of the chamber over time
- Elections in the chamber and how vacancies are filled
- A district map
- How redistricting works in the state
- Legislation under consideration
- Legislative session dates
- Legislative procedures, such as veto overrides and the state budget process
- A list of committees
Party control
Current partisan control
The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the Louisiana State Senate as of September 2025:
| Party | As of September 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 11 | |
| Republican Party | 28 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 39 | |
Members
Leadership
The president and president pro tempore of the Senate are elected by the full body, needing at least 20 votes for confirmation. The president is the presiding officer of the body. Duties of the president include preserving order, calling votes, appointing and removing members of each Senate and conference committee, and approving all expenditures of the Senate. In the absence of the president, the president pro tempore assumes all duties of the position.[1]
Leadership and members
- Senate president: Cameron Henry (R)
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[2] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $16,800/year; plus an additional $6,000/year as an unvouchered expense | $166/day. |
Swearing in dates
Louisiana legislators assume office at noon on the second Monday in January after their election.[3][4]
Membership qualifications
According to Article III, Section 4, of the Louisiana Constitution, candidates must meet the following qualifications in order to run for the state legislature:[5]
| “ | All candidates shall be qualified electors ... By the date of qualification, the candidate shall have attained the age of 18 years, resided in Louisiana for the preceding 2 years, and been actually domiciled for the preceding year in the legislative district from which the candidate seeks election. At the next regular election for members of the legislature following legislative reapportionment, an elector may qualify as a candidate from any district created in whole or in part from a district existing prior to reapportionment if he was domiciled in that prior district for at least 1 year immediately preceding his qualification and was a resident of Louisiana for the 2 years preceding his qualification.[6] | ” |
Historical party control
Republicans won control of the Louisiana State Senate in 2011. In 2023, they won a 28-11 majority.
The table below shows the partisan history of the Louisiana Senate following every general election from 1991 to 2023. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
Louisiana State Senate election results: 1991-2023
| Party | 91 | 95 | 99 | 03 | 07 | 11 | 15 | 19 | 23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 33 | 25 | 27 | 24 | 24 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 11 |
| Republicans | 6 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 28 |
See also
| Elections | Louisiana State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
|---|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Louisiana State Senate, "Rules of Order - Chapter 3: Officers," accessed February 10, 2021
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Louisiana Constitution, "Article 3, Section 5," accessed February 10, 2021
- ↑ Louisiana Constitution, "Article 4, Section 3," accessed February 10, 2021
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Qualifications of Candidates," accessed May 21, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Thicket, "Why do Four States Have Odd-Year Elections?" August 25, 2011
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "2015 Elections," accessed January 2, 2015
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Louisiana 2011 Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Louisiana 2007 Candidates," accessed July 10, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Louisiana 2003 Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Louisiana 1999 Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Constitutional and Statutory Provisions for Term Limits," accessed February 10, 2021
- ↑ Louisiana Legislature, "Louisiana Election Code," accessed February 10, 2021 (Statute 18:601, Louisiana Statutes)
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 All About Redistricting, "Louisiana," accessed April 30, 2015
- ↑ American Redistricting Project, "Nairne v. Landry," accessed November 20, 2024
- ↑ NOLA.com. "Louisiana must redraw its legislative districts, federal judge rules. Here's why." February 8, 2024
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Twitter. "RedistrictNet," February 8, 2024
- ↑ Louisiana State Legislature, "2022 First Extraordinary Session - HB14," accessed February 24, 2022
- ↑ The Advocate. "Legislature ends redistricting session by passing new maps for state House and Senate, PSC and BESE," February 18, 2022
- ↑ The Advocate. "Legislature ends redistricting session by passing new maps for state House and Senate, PSC and BESE," February 18, 2022
- ↑ State of Louisiana, Office of the Governor, "Gov. Edwards Vetoes Proposed Congressional District Map, Announces Other Action on Newly Drawn District Maps," March 9, 2022
- ↑ Bayou Buzz, "Louisiana, States: Get Redistricting Out of Legislator's Jar," December 22, 2010 (dead link)
- ↑ New Orleans Times Picayune, "Redistricting plans set up battle lines in Legislature," March 18, 2011
- ↑ The Advocate, "Louisiana House approves redistricting plan," March 29, 2011
- ↑ WDSU, "Louisiana state legislature will temporarily adjourn due to COVID-19," March 16, 2020
- ↑ Bossier Press-Tribune, "Louisiana legislature meets briefly before suspending session again," March 31, 2020
- ↑ The Advocate, "75% in attendance and many without masks: Louisiana legislature reconvenes amid coronavirus," May 4, 2020
- ↑ Washington Times, "Edwards officially calls special session on budget, taxes," accessed February 8, 2016
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "2015 Louisiana Legislature: What to expect from Bobby Jindal, lawmakers," April 11, 2015
- ↑ American Press, "How different will session be?" April 12, 2015
- ↑ Bossier Press-Tribune, "Jindal taps budget, education, relgious freedom as major 2015 session issues," April 13, 2015
- ↑ Gannett Louisiana, "Marijuana fight returning to Legislature this session," April 12, 2015
- ↑ Associated Press, "Jindal pushes worker training as legislative session opens," March 10, 2014
- ↑ American Press, "Education, lawsuit key issues," March 9, 2014
- ↑ wwltv.com, "A look at major issues at session's halfway point," April 24, 2013
- ↑ Louisiana House of Representatives, "2011 Regular Session Journals," accessed February 10, 2021
- ↑ Louisiana House of Representatives, "2011 1st Extraordinary Session Journals," accessed February 10, 2021
- ↑ Louisiana House of Representatives, "2010 Regular Session Journals," accessed February 10, 2021
- ↑ Find Law, "Tenth Amendment - U.S. Constitution," accessed February 10, 2021
- ↑ Louisiana State Senate, "Constitution of Louisiana," accessed February 10, 2021
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023
- ↑ For budgets with one-time money, two-thirds of elected House members must approve for it to pass.
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Separation of Powers: Executive Veto Powers," accessed January 26, 2024
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