This bill proposes an amendment to Article V, Section 19 of the Louisiana Constitution concerning special juvenile proceedings. It allows the legislature to determine which felony offenses committed by juveniles under the age of seventeen may be prosecuted as adults. Specifically, the bill removes the previous list of serious crimes for which special juvenile procedures would not apply, replacing it with a broader provision that allows the legislature to specify certain felony offenses by law. Additionally, the amendment permits the legislature to lower the maximum age for juvenile procedures and establish a process for waiving special juvenile procedures in individual cases.

The proposed amendment will be submitted to Louisiana voters in a statewide election scheduled for March 29, 2025, or at the next authorized statewide election. The ballot will ask voters whether they support granting the legislature the authority to decide which felony crimes committed by individuals under seventeen may be prosecuted in adult court.