It wasn’t quite the results they were hoping for, but this week’s veto override session can still be called a victory by Louisiana’s Republican legislators.

The main focus of the session was House Bill 648, otherwise known as the “Stop Harming Our Kids Act”, which aimed to add new guidelines and prohibitions for minors who wish to receive medical intervention to validate “a minor’s perception of the minor’s sex, if the minor’s perception is inconsistent with the minor’s sex.”

The bill garnered national attention from both sides of the aisle, with conservatives supporting it as a common sense approach to limiting what permanent modifications can be made to minors suffering from gender dysphoria. Many progressives criticized the bill as far-reaching intervention that would lead to further harm and even death for some Louisiana children.

State Representative Blake Miguez, serving as House Republican Delegation chairman, has been vocal in his support for the bill.

“Gov. John Bel Edwards’ veto of HB648, a bill to protect children from irreversible gender procedures, signifies a departure from our responsibility to safeguard our children, who are our most vulnerable citizens,” Miguez said in a statement made to his official Facebook page.

“We believe ‘No one in Louisiana has a right to harm any child,’ and it’s high time we took a stand for them. I pledge to fight for our children and ensure that their future remains secure.”

The Governor vetoed the bill on the grounds that it would lead to harm for a “very small, unique, and vulnerable group of children.” In a six-page letter explaining his decision to veto the bill, Gov. Edwards cited his experiences as a lawyer, military officer and as governor that led him to view the bill as both dangerous and unnecessary.

Gov. Edwards is no stranger to conflicting ideologies between his office and the Louisiana Legislature, but the overwhelming majority of executive vetoes have been sustained.

On Tuesday, a second override was added to Edwards’ record.

It wasn’t just Republicans who disagreed with the governor, however, as six Democratic representatives (Reps. Roy Daryl Adams of Jackson, Robby Carter of Amite, Chad Brown of Plaquemines, Mack Cormier of Belle Chasse, C. Travis Johnson of Vidalia, Dustin Miller of Opelousas) and two senators (Sens. Katrina Jackson of Monroe and Greg Tarver of Shreveport) sided with conservatives to overrule the veto 75-23 in the House and 28-11 in the Senate.

News of the veto traveled quickly, being met with both celebration and dismay. Many who opposed the bill, including Gov. Edwards, expect the bill to be challenged in federal court.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana was quick to issue a statement pledging to continue their fight for “gender-affirming care”.

“Lawmakers who voted to overturn Governor Edwards’ veto of House Bill 648 have chosen to sacrifice the health and safety of Louisiana’s transgender children and undermine the rights of their parents,” the ACLU of Louisiana said. “This is extreme government overreach and a direct threat to the civil liberties and constitutional rights of all Louisianans. We condemn today’s override of HB648, and we will never stop fighting to protect the rights of transgender youth and their families.”

Miguez disagreed, viewing the move as a victory over one of the biggest threats to Louisiana’s youth.

“We will never stand idle while the safety and innocence of our children are at stake,” Miguez said. “With the successful override of the veto on HB 648, we have overridden a threat to Louisiana’s greatest asset, our children. This is not just a victory, it is a testament that we will staunchly defend the sanctity of childhood and the future of our state.”

Unfortunately for House Republicans, several other bills, including two addressing LGTB students, failed to garner enough support to progress to the Senate.

House Bill 466, which would have prohibited discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in public school, and House Bill 81, which would have forbidden school employees from using transgender students’ preferred names or pronouns unless they had parental approval, both failed to gather the required two-thirds vote.

Six other bills also failed to make it to the Senate, including HB 399, which requires communications about school vaccine requirements to include info on exemptions and HB 125, a bill to prohibit Chinese nationals and other “foreign adversaries” from owning land in Louisiana.

Several budget bills also failed, including three (HB 1, HB 2 and HB 560) which were not brought up for a vote despite numerous threats from conservative lawmakers.

New Iberia representatives Marcus Bryant and Beau Beaullieu each had a vetoed bill that remained unaddressed throughout the session.

Bryant’s HB 205 would have created an overtime pay schedule for teachers and other school employees. The bill aimed to allow teachers to be compensated for all time worked beyond their typical contracted hours, including planning periods and certain after-school activities. The bill advanced to the governor following a 93-4 vote in the House and a 35-1 vote in the Senate.

Gov. Edwards called the bill well-intentioned but said that he believes it would create disparate treatment among education professionals, especially those in charter or under-funded schools.

Beaullieu’s bill would have required state legislative approval for any federal election directive handed down from Washington. The bill advanced through the House by a vote of 73-29 and the Senate by a vote of 27-9.

Gov. Edwards claimed that this bill was similar to one that he had previously vetoed in 2022, adding that Beaullieu’s bill would insert politics into the administration of elections and voter registration and prohibit the adoption of federal best practices.