Legislative regular session through Apr. 25, 2015

Bill filing ended this week, causing some additions to the list of good and bad bills:

THE GOOD: HB 788 by Rep. Jay Morris would create a flat individual tax and remove individual tax exceptions; HB 795 by Rep. Jim Fannin would attenuate the Motion Picture Investor Tax Credit (similar bill: HB 829); HB 827 by Rep. Cameron Henry would phase out corporate income taxes; HB 828 by Henry would phase out the corporate franchise tax.

THE BAD: HB 792 by Rep. Julie Stokes would increase taxes of a wasting kind but shunt the proceeds of this to prop up recurring expenses (similar bill: HB 794); HB 811 by Rep. Ebony Woodruff would create a needless tax; HB 820 by Rep. Sam Jones would discourage donations to schools; HB 825 by Rep. Taylor Barras would end up passing through taxes to owners that occasionally and episodically rent property; HB 831 by Morris would reduce spending flexibility; HB 832 by Rep. Tim Burns would expand spending on the Motion Picture Investor Tax Credit; SB 275 by Sen. Danny Martiny would reduce budgetary flexibility.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 61 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 131 passed House committee; HB 168 with major amendment passed House committee; SB 13 with minor amendment passed House committee; SB 48 passed Senate committee.

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 87 was deferred involuntarily; HB 182 was deferred involuntarily; HB 216 passed House committee; HB 290 was deferred involuntarily.

SCORECARD:

Total number of bills, House: 832; total number of bills, Senate: 282.

Total number of good bills, House: 67; total number of good bills, Senate: 34.

Total number of bad bills, House: 107; total number of bad bills, Senate: 27.

Total House good bills heard in House committee: 5; total Senate good bills heard in Senate committee: 7.

Total House bad bills heard in House committee: 4; total Senate bad bills heard in Senate committee: 1.

Total House good bills passed by House committee: 3; total Senate good bills passed by Senate committee: 2.

Total House bad bills passed by House committee: 0; total Senate bad bills passed by Senate committee: 0.

Total House good bills approved by House: 0; total Senate good bills approved by Senate: 0.

Total House bad bills approved by House: 0; total Senate bad bills approved by Senate: 0.

Total House good bills heard in Senate committee: 0; total Senate good bills heard in House committee: 0.

Total House bad bills heard in Senate committee: 0; total Senate bad bills heard in House committee: 0.

Total House good bills approved by Senate committee: 0; total Senate good bills approved by House committee: 0.

Total House bad bills approved by Senate committee: 0; total Senate bad bills approved by House committee: 0.

Total House good bills approved by Senate: 0; total Senate good bills approved by House: 0.

Total House bad bills approved by Senate: 0; total Senate bad bills approved by House: 0.

Total House good bills going to governor: 0; total Senate good bills going to governor: 0.

Total House bad bills going to governor: 0; total Senate bad bills going to governor: 0.

Total House good bills signed by governor/filed with Secretary of State: 0; total Senate good bills signed by governor/filed with Secretary of State: 0.

Total House bad bills signed by governor/filed with Secretary of State: 0; total Senate bad bills signed by governor/filed with Secretary of State: 0.