GOP lawmakers won't strike La. involuntary servitude clause MELINDA DESLATTE, Associated Press FacebookTwitterEmail BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A bid to abolish involuntary servitude as criminal punishment in Louisiana failed in its first legislative hearing Tuesday, with Republican lawmakers rejecting the proposal despite arguments the constitutional language allows a form of slavery in prisons. The House civil law committee voted to stall the proposed constitutional change by Rep. Edmond Jordan and keep it from reaching the full House for debate. Nine Republicans voted against the measure, while five Democrats supported it. Jordan, a Baton Rouge Democrat, said the language in Louisiana's constitution stems from the state's history of slavery, segregation and convict leasing. He described his proposal as “righting a wrong and correcting history.”