§2564. Political activities prohibited
A. Political activities by and extending to employees of the classified service are
hereby prohibited as follows:
(1) No person shall seek or attempt to use any political endorsement, in connection
with any appointment to a position in the classified service.
(2) No person shall use or promise to use directly or indirectly, any official authority
or influence, whether possessed or anticipated, to secure or attempt to secure for any person
an appointment or advantage in appointment to a position in the classified service, or an
increase in pay or other advantage in employment in any such position, for the purpose of
influencing the vote or political action of any person, or for any consideration.
(3) No employee in the classified service shall, directly or indirectly, pay or promise
to pay any assessment, subscription, or contribution for any political organization or purpose,
or solicit or take part in soliciting any such assessment, subscription, or contribution. No
person shall solicit any such assessment, subscription or contribution of any employee in the
classified service. The prohibitions of this paragraph (3) shall not be construed as applying
to membership dues paid or contributions made to non-political employee organizations,
pension funds, civic enterprises, the Louisiana Civil Service League or any similar non-political and non-partisan organization.
(4) No employee in the classified service shall (a) be a member of any national, state,
or local committee of a political party, (b) be an officer or member of a committee of any
factional or political club or organization, (c) be a candidate for nomination or election to
public office, (d) make any political speech or public political statement in behalf of any
candidate seeking to be elected to public office, or (e) take any part in the management or
affairs of any political party or in the political campaign of any candidate for public office,
except to privately express his opinion and to cast his vote.
(5) No person elected to public office shall, while serving in the elective office, be
appointed to or hold any position in the classified service.
(6) No appointing authority, or agent or deputy thereof, shall directly or indirectly,
demote, suspend, discharge or otherwise discipline or discriminate against any person in the
classified service for the purpose of influencing his vote, support, or other political activity
in any election or primary election. No appointing authority, or agent or deputy thereof, shall
use his official authority or influence, by threats, promises or other means, directly or
indirectly to coerce the political action of any employee in the classified service.
B. The appointing authority shall conduct an investigation of any person alleged to
have violated a provision of this Section, unless a request by the appointing authority is made
to the board to conduct such an investigation. If as a result of such investigation the
employee is determined to be guilty of violating one or more provisions of this Section, he
shall be suspended for thirty work days without pay for a first violation or discharged for a
second violation. However, any employee found to have violated Subparagraph (A)(4)(c)
of this Section shall be terminated upon the determination of a violation of the offense. The
board may, upon its own initiative, or upon the request of the appointing authority,
investigate any officer or employee in the classified service whom it reasonably believes
guilty of violating any one or more of the provisions of this Part. The board shall, within
thirty days after receiving the written charges, hold a public hearing and investigation and
determine whether such charges are true and correct. If the board should find upon its
investigation of any employee that he has violated any of the provisions of this Section, the
board shall order the appointing authority to suspend the employee without pay for thirty
work days for a first violation and mandate educational training on prohibited political
activities. If the board determines an employee has violated any of the provisions of this
Section for a second time, the board shall order the discharge of the employee from the
service and the appointing authority shall discharge the employee.
C. Whoever is found to have violated this Part twice shall be subject to the penalties
provided in R.S. 33:2567. In addition any employee in the classified service who is
discharged because of violating a provision of this Section shall not again be eligible for
employment or public office in the classified service for a period of six years from the time
of his discharge.
Acts 1964, No. 282, §1; Acts 2016, No. 332, §2.