DID YOU KNOW?
HB
341 by Rep. Tim
Burns is the omnibus election bill, a version of which tweaks the election
code. Mostly very marginal and uncontroversial in nature, this year’s has the
intriguing change of deleting the requirement of publishing the inactive voter
list in print and, after an amendment, to put it online. Representatives of the
Secretary of State told the House and Governmental
Affairs Committee this allowed for constant viewing of the list, that many
parishes no longer even had newspapers locally to print the lists, and would
reduce costs.
Opponents
representing newspaper interests were present, but did not speak to criticize
that part of the bill. Without objection, the bill with amendments was
approved.
DID
YOU KNOW?
SB
20 by Sen. Bret Allain would
require more advance notice when local governments desire to raises taxes in one
form or another, with at least 30 days of notice of a meeting to do so. After
minor amendments were approved, the bill was approved by the Senate and
Governmental Affairs Committee without objection.
DID
YOU KNOW?
SB
68 by Sen. Karen Peterson would
the state adopt comparable worth standards in pay for women. She said “fair
pay,” or the assertion that alleged discriminatory practices were occurring in
pay practices, would improve income for women and that to tolerate these
“disrespected others and wives.” She then asked for voluntary deferment.
DID
YOU KNOW?
SB
153 by Sen. Edwin Murray would do
the same as SB 68. He then offered a lot of small amendments that with a bit of
hesitation because of their total length senators adopted.
A
number of supporters testified. They reeled off some statistics alluding to pay
disparity, but these were not controlled for all factors in pay decisions such
as hours worked, leave taken, and career path decisions, and advanced the
comparable worth argument that pay should be according to the skills demanded by
the job, not by the actual output or productivity. They claimed that this could
happen unintentionally, and said a new bureaucratic system should be created
outside of judicial proceedings to “put teeth” into existing law, while
admitting the law already prohibited differential treatment in the workplace
without bonafide occupational qualifications as justifications. One said she
was discriminated against consistently in the field of political consulting because
she was black and female. Some hoped senators would listen with their hearts
rather than their minds. They insisted the bill would bring more women out of
poverty.
Opponents
pointed out that federal law already incorporated much of what the bill had,
and actually the bill would exempt smaller employers with a limited time span
to bring cases, observed that pay decisions were made in complex fashion, noted
errors in supporters’ testimony and the simplicity of some data they cited,
reiterated that performance should govern pay, not comparable worth standards,
and that this would allow for workers to use the legal system to pressure inappropriately
employers for higher pay as the bill insufficiently prevented frivolous actions.
They also pointed out statistical data that showed no real wage discrimination
existed in any systematic form.
On
closing, Murray repeated some of the same statistics criticized by opponents as
being too simplistic, and moved for approval. Met with objection, it failed 4-4
with all Democrats against but Republicans Chairman Sen. Jody Amedee and Sen. Bob Kostelka in favor. Murray then
moved to report without recommendation, but the same vote occurred, thereby
stalling the bill in committee.
QUOTE
OF THE DAY:
I
look forward to testifying on the floor of the House ….
You’re
in the Senate now.
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