A JOINT RESOLUTION Proposing to add Article VII, Section 21(P) of the Constitution of Louisiana, relative to ad valorem taxation; to extend an ad valorem tax exemption for property owners who are sixty-five years of age or older; to provide for the amount of the exemption; to provide for requirements and limitations; to provide for implementation of the exemption by parishes and municipalities; to prohibit the reappraisal and valuation of property for purposes of millage adjustments under certain circumstances; to provide for applicability; to provide for an effective date; to provide for submission of the proposed amendment to the electors; and to provide for related matters.

Section 1. Be it resolved by the Legislature of Louisiana, two-thirds of the members elected to each house concurring, that there shall be submitted to the electors of the state of Louisiana, for their approval or rejection in the manner provided by law, a proposal to add Article VII, Section 21(P) of the Constitution of Louisiana, to read as follows:
§21. Other Property Exemptions
Section 21. In addition to the homestead exemption provided for in Section 20 of this Article, the following property and no other shall be exempt from ad valorem taxation:
(P)(1) In addition to the homestead exemption authorized pursuant to the provisions of Section 20 of this Article, which applies to the first seven thousand five hundred dollars of the assessed valuation of property, an additional exemption shall apply to property receiving the homestead exemption that is owned and occupied by a person who is at least sixty-five years of age or older and who qualifies for the special assessment level pursuant to Article VII, Section 18(G)(1)(a)(i) of this constitution. The amount of the additional exemption shall be as follows:
(a) For persons sixty-five years of age but not yet sixty-nine years of age, the next six thousand dollars of the assessed valuation of the property shall be exempt from ad valorem taxation.
(b) For persons sixty-nine years of age but not yet seventy-three years of age, the next twelve thousand dollars of the assessed valuation of the property shall be exempt from ad valorem taxation.
(c) For persons seventy-three years of age but not yet seventy-seven years of age, the next eighteen thousand dollars of the assessed valuation of the property shall be exempt from ad valorem taxation.
(d) For persons seventy-seven years of age but not yet eighty-one years of age, the next twenty-four thousand dollars of the assessed valuation of the property shall be exempt from ad valorem taxation.
(e) For persons eighty-one years of age and older, the next thirty thousand dollars of the assessed valuation of the property shall be exempt from ad valorem taxation.
(2) The surviving spouse of a property owner claiming the exemption shall be eligible for the exemption provided for in this Paragraph if the surviving spouse occupies and remains the owner of or retains a usufruct on the property and is not more than five years younger than the owner.
(3) The exemption provided in this Paragraph shall be applicable in any parish or municipality in which the exemption has been approved by a majority of the electors of the parish or municipality voting at an election called for that purpose.
(4) Notwithstanding any provision of this constitution to the contrary, any decrease in the total amount of ad valorem tax collected by the taxing authority as a result of the exemption shall be absorbed by the taxing authority and shall not create any additional tax liability for other taxpayers in the taxing district as a result of any subsequent reappraisal and valuation or millage adjustment. Implementation of the exemption authorized in this Paragraph shall neither trigger nor be cause fora reappraisal of property or an adjustment of millages pursuant to the provisions of Section 23(B) of this Article.
(5) A trust shall be eligible for the exemption provided for in this Paragraph as provided by law.

Section 2. Be it further resolved that the provisions of the amendment contained in this Joint Resolution shall become effective January 1, 2028, and shall be applicable to all tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2028.

Section 3. Be it further resolved that this proposed amendment shall be submitted to the electors of the state of Louisiana at the statewide election to be held on November 3, 2026.

Section 4. Be it further resolved that on the official ballot to be used at the election, there shall be printed a proposition, upon which the electors of the state shall be permitted to vote YES or NO, to amend the Constitution of Louisiana, which proposition shall read as follows:
Do you support an amendment to authorize parishes and municipalities to extend an additional property tax exemption for property subject to the homestead exemption that is owned and occupied by a person who is at least sixty-five years of age and who qualifies for the special assessment level? (Effective January 1, 2028) (Adds Article VII, Section 21(P))