BATON ROUGE - Thousands of water lines reported to have lead could be replaced across the state should voters approve the seventh constitutional amendment on the ballot, and also make a decision regarding foreign adversaries owning private property in the state in the eighth amendment on the ballot.

The Louisiana Constitution generally prohibits the government from giving public dollars to businesses or people unless an exception is specified. Constitutional Amendment 7 would create a carve-out that would allow political subdivisions and government agencies the ability to use public dollars to identify and remove lead pipes between a main water line and a home.

According to the Secretary of State, Amendment 7's ballot language reads as follows:

Do you support an amendment to allow for the use of public funds by a political subdivision for the purpose of identifying, inventorying, removing or replacing drinking water utility service lines made of or affected by materials as specified or prescribed by the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, promulgated October 30, 2024, or subsequent promulgation, on property owned by utility customers? (Amends Article VII, Section 14)

"There's a long line of exemptions in the Constitution, but there's a whole bunch of exemptions. You can't even make donations from one entity to another, like one local government to another local government, like a donation of asphalt," Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, or PAR, President Steven Procopio said.

According to PAR, the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board asked for the amendment to allow it to access millions in federal dollars to replace lead water pipes.

Voters will also decide on changes governing companies taking private property.

In Louisiana, companies are allowed to expropriate or take private property for projects like airports, railroads and toll roads, provided they pay the original landowner the value of the property.

The Secretary of State's website lists the following language for amendment eight:

Do you support an amendment to prohibit expropriation of property by a foreign adversary or an agent of a foreign adversary? (Amends Article I, Section 4(B)(4))

If approved, the amendment would prohibit any private companies connected to foreign adversaries from taking Louisiana property. The state already has measures in place which prevents companies with ties to foreign adversaries from taking land within 50 miles of a military installation or any property that cannot be moved.

"It hasn't happened in Louisiana, as far as I know of," Procopio said.

The United States Treasury Department keeps the list of foreign adversaries. Those countries include China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela under Nicolas Maduro's regime.

WBRZ is explaining all ten constitutional amendments on the ballot; see more coverage here.