DID YOU KNOW?
The Senate Transportation, Highways, and Public Works Committee rapidly went through Rep. Pete Schneider’s HB 11 and HB 72. The former will facilitate creation of regional levee boards by broadening residency requirements for membership, while the latter forces such boards to go to the people to have taxing authority (presently, existing levee districts can levy some taxes on their own).
Then the committee took his HB 82, originally setting up a regional levee district and essentially reshaped it into Sen. Walter Boasso’s SB 8, recently passed with major amendments. Schneider didn’t get a chance to see the 15 pages of amendments that was to accomplish that, but he took Chairman Sen. Noble Ellington’s word that it had everything as intended, and if not, cleaning up with other amendments could be done before any more action was taken.
DID YOU KNOW?
There was no question what the big issues of the day would be, when before anything got started on SB 22, Democrat Rep. Michael Jackson took personal privilege to warn the body it was facing tough choices, and specifically thanked Republican Rep. Loulan Pitre, whose vote in committee decided the issue favorably. Jackson also explained the walkout of two days previous was only protest, and that the Black Caucus was ready and willing to work on the impending big issues.
But it heated up when HB 12 came up. Rep. Rick Gallot (pinch-hitting for author Rep. Jalila Jefferson-Bullock) informed the Senate had removed a provision that the state had to check residencies (for out of state applicants) because it was being done at the state level (which would make it similar to SB 16). But Reps. Pete Schneider and Peppi Bruneau argued it should be kept in; if it is being done already, what was the problem in writing it into law? Rep. Mike Walsworth pointed out that the applications for absentee balloting had not yet been distributed, so it was not being done currently.
Rep. Steve Scalise, the amendment’s author, pointed out the Senate change did more than that and would damage the process: “Why, I don’t know. I hope people don’t feel intimidated enough not to stand up for voting integrity…. The right to vote is denied when a fraudulent vote cancels out other votes.” Rep. Charlie Lancaster pointed out to defeat this amendment and thus to send the bill to conference which could then increase its scope of coverage, allowing more people that had never given positive identification to vote than the small number now permitted.
The motion to concur with the amendments passed 67-31. It moots SB 16 and sends the measure to the governor without the measure mandating checks for dual registrations (one being out of state).
DID YOU KNOW?
Shortly thereafter, Gallot argued for passage of SB 22 which would create “super-precincts” located in eight parishes where anybody from an area affected by a declared emergency could vote, until Jul. 16. Gallot reported that the judiciary had informed him it would defer to the Legislature in this matter, but said the court still could step in if this wasn’t passed.
Walsworth offered an amendment that would require all parishes to open up to this kind of voting access – this after Sec. of State Al Ater had testified in committee that it would be difficult operationally to do this. “And it would be economic development – all of these Orleans [candidates for mayor] come traveling across the state,” which prompted Rep. Jeff Arnold to ask if this meant Walsworth (from around Monroe) would vote for the measure. Walsworth didn’t commit. “Now that we’ve got a court intervening, and to honor the Governor’s commitment that all evacuees be 30 minutes away” from a polling place, he argued this was necessary.
Rep. Eric LaFleur said he heard from Ater that this was not practical, and said he gathered the existing plan would be satisfactory to the court. Lancaster argued that the memo from the court only asked that the law comply with federal law, and that the law did not require satellite voting sites. Rep. Karen Carter said Florida had done it before. But Walsworth said all the court’s documents never mentioned satellite centers. The amendment was defeated 21-71.
Schneider then offered essentially the amendment stripped from HB 12 in the Senate. It was approved without objection.
During debate on the bill, Rep. Monica Walker, recognizing the close vote on HB 14, presented what she said was a laundry list of reasons how to justify a vote for this. But Bruneau then brought up what he argued were constitutional prohibitions, that the bill was local and special and the Louisiana Constitution prohibited the Legislature from changing the election code this way. Bruneau raised the specter that a successful suit on this basis would negate the entire election. He pointed out all of the easy options already provided for voting when outside of a precinct. “It is a false[sic] canard to say that it is not easy to vote in this state,” he said.
The bill passed 71-29, magnifying the crucial committee vote of Pitre’s the day earlier.
DID YOU KNOW?
Rep. Billy Montgomery offered a resolution commending the ailing Rep. Roy “Hoppy” Hopkins. This could indicate that Hopkins, slowed by cancer, may be calling quits to his legislative career even as he remarked he “hoped” to return to regular attendance in the future. Feb 15 will be known as “Hoppy Hopkins” day in the House.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“You’ll explain the bill after that?”
Schneider to Ellington, after the latter said Senate amendments to HB 82 could be adopted to have the bill conform to SB 8.
“I have a way of bringing people together like that.”
Rep. Danny Martiny, when discussing how he excised part of his HB 52 because there seemed to be universal opposition to it.
Lawyers’ opinions are like everybody’s bodily appendages – everybody’s got one.
Bruneau during debate on SB 16.
SCORECARD:
Total House introductions: 99; total Senate introductions: 58.
Total House good bills: 11; total Senate good bills: 2.
Total House bad bills: 11; total Senate bad bills: 4.
Total House good bills heard in House committee: 5; total Senate good bills heard in Senate committee: 2.
Total House bad bills heard in House committee: 4; total Senate bad bills heard in Senate committee: 2.
Total House good bills passing House committee: 4; total Senate good bills passing Senate committee: 2.
Total House bad bills passing House committee: 4; total Senate bad bills passing Senate committee: 2.
Total House good bills passing the House: 4; total Senate good bills passing the Senate: 2.
Total House bad bills passing the House: 3; total Senate bad bills passing the Senate: 2.
Total House good bills heard in Senate committee: 3; total Senate good bills heard in House committee: 2.
Total House bad bills heard in Senate committee: 2; total Senate bad bills heard in House committee: 2.
Total House good bills passed by Senate committee: 3; total Senate good bills passed by House committee: 2.
Total House bad bills passed by Senate committee: 3; total Senate bad bills passed by House committee: 2.
Total House good bills passed by Senate: 0; total Senate good bills passed by House: 0.
Total House bad bills passed by Senate: 1; total Senate bad bills passed by House: 1.
Total House good bills advancing to the Governor: 0; total Senate good bills advancing to the governor: 0
Total House bad bills advancing to the Governor: 1; total Senate bad bills advancing to the governor: 1
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