Off to a faster start than usual with the volume of
tax change bills out there, some bills still are being put into the hopper.
THE BAD: HB 659 by Rep. Matthew Willard would create a largely-duplicative, unneeded tax break; HB 660 by Rep. Jason Hughes would increase the Earned Income Tax Credit.
THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 199 passed House committee; HB 292 with technical amendment passed House committee; HB 293 with technical amendment passed House committee; SB 159 passed Senate committee.
Welcome to the first post of the 2021 Regular Session, as always the good, bad, and ugly bills prefiled. Given that particularly the tax-related bills interact so complexly with each other, bills could appear and disappear weekly from this list depending upon their amendments and combinations moving forward.
THE GOOD: HB 16 by Rep. Danny McCormick would reduce bureaucracy regarding the ability to carry a concealed firearm (similar bill: HB 596; SB 118); HB 20 by Rep. Blake Miguez would make more difficult private interests interfering with elections; HB 30 by Rep. Phillip DeVillier would reduce severance taxes to create a more balanced energy policy; HB 36 by DeVillier would reduce waste in the Motion Picture Production Tax Credit program; HB 40 by Rep. Mark Wright would wean off using money for transportation better suited for infrastructure from personnel costs; HB 61 by Rep. Valarie Hodges would reduce fraudulent Earned Income Tax Credit claims; HB 83 by Rep. Bryan Fontenot doesn’t allow bail decisions in one parish to override those of another; HB 103 by McCormick would reduce discrimination on the basis of coronavirus vaccine reception; HB 118 by Rep. Larry Frieman would strengthen Second Amendment protections; HB 138 by Rep. Les Farnum would strengthen ballot integrity (similar bills: HB 167, HB 581, HB 599, HB 653, SB 63, 64, SB 219, SB 220; SB 221, SB 224); HB 149 by Frieman would clarify emergency declaration powers; HB 154 by Rep. Zee Zeringue would amend the Constitution to allow for greater latitude in investments for some state funds; HB 180 by Rep. Jonathan Goudreau would reduce unemployment compensation waste; HB 203 by Rep. Stuart Bishop would amend the Constitution to change vote requirements that create more efficient use of tax exceptions; HB 204 by Rep. Christopher Turner would allow for greater flexibility in delivery of some Medicaid waiver services; HB 205 by DeVillier would amend the Constitution to eliminate the corporate federal income tax deduction (similar bills: HB 208, HB 209, HB 210, HB 274, HB 275, HB 292, HB 293, HB 454); HB 207 by Zeringue would amend the Constitution to broaden and flatten non-corporate income taxation (similar bills: HB 171, HB 206, HB 233, HB 278, HB 369, HB 376, HB 441, HB 475, HB 486, HB 488, HB 504, HB 546, SB 159), HB 211 by Rep. Mark Wright would strengthen public school choice options; HB 213 by Rep. Tony Bacala would strengthen accountability of Medicaid; HB 256 by Rep. Philip Tarver would end privileging of teacher unions under law; HB 273 by Rep. Beau Beallieu would amend the Constitution to create a more realistic expenditure limit (similar bill: HB 276); HB 279 by DeVillier would phase out the corporate franchise tax (similar bills: HB 520, HB 543, HB 547, HB 629); HB 280 by Rep. Rick Edmonds would expand access to and accountability of the state’s voucher program; HB 297 by Tarver encourages more responsible administration of mayor’s courts; HB 349 by Rep. Kathy Edmonston would prohibit the state from permitting use of potentially discriminatory medical information (similar bills: HB 498, SB 198); HB 352 by Hodges would clarify civics instruction; HB 356 by Bacala would improve Medicaid efficiency; HB 388 by Rep. Lance Harris would increase the efficiency of ballot tabulation; HB 393 by Rep. Joseph Oregon would remove impediments to wine sales; HB 423 by Julie Emerson would provide better data for policy-making concerning abortion; HB 428 by Rep. Brett Geymann would prevent federal disaster funds alone from increasing ordinary state spending; HB 438 by Miguez would prevent abuse of public records requests; HB 487 by Rep. Michael Echols would amend the Constitution to give greater latitude in addressing budgetary shortfalls; HB 496 by Harris would extend financial disclosure requirements to judges; HB 542 by Rep. Beryl Amedee would secure fairness in school sports competition (similar bill: SB 156); HB 556 by DeVillier increases school choice options; HB 564 by Rep. Ray Garofalo would generally promote intellectual rigor in education; HB 575 by Rep. Gabe Firment would protect children’s health (similar bill: SB 104); HB 578 by Amedee would provide more information to women seeking abortions; HB 579 by Amedee would prevent government intrusion on bodily autonomy in health care decisions; HB 597 by Miguez would promote greater fairness in state government contracting; HB 612 by Rep. Richard Nelson would simplify and update sales taxation rates; HB 630 by Rep. Dodie Horton would make more accountable a quasi-independent state agency; HB 650 by Rep. Thomas Pressly would depoliticize and improve operations and regulation of river port pilots and steamship pilots; SB 1 by Sen. Barrow Peacock would siphon temporary sales tax money to roads (similar bill: SB 30); SB 4 by Sen. Ed Price would remove arbitrary limits on financing campaign speech; SB 8 by Peacock would end a needless tax break; SB 91 by Peacock would facilitate estate transfers; SB 115 by Peacock would provide for sensible gun control; SB 124 by Sen. Sharon Hewitt would require national anthem performance before athletic contests in venues constructed with public dollars; SB 137 by Sen. Kirk Talbot would make progress towards lowering long-term care costs while providing better services; SB 177 by Sen. Barry Milligan would amend the Constitution to create a more efficient sales tax collection system (similar bill: HB 199); SB 194 by Sen. Gerald Boudreaux extends the existing moratorium on increasing nursing home beds until 2027; SB 235 by Hewitt would establish closed primaries without runoff for parties with a non-trivial amount of registrations for congressional elections.
The fate of three bills only remains, two dealing with elections integrity and one with broader appellate rights for disciplined students.
THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 4 was vetoed by the governor; HB 20 was signed by the governor; HB 43 was signed by the governor, HB 51 was vetoed by the governor; HB 66 was signed by the governor; HB 95 was signed by the governor; SB 12 went to the governor and was signed by the governor; SB 20 went to the governor; SB 32 was signed by the governor; SB 74 went to the governor.
THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 48 was signed by the governor.
The session ended a few days early, but the Log never quits early.
THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 4 with major amendment passed the Senate, was concurred in by the House, and went to the governor; HB 20 passed the Senate, was concurred in by the House, and went to the governor; HB 38 with major amendment passed the Senate, was rejected by the House, and the House passed the conference report; HB 43 passed the Senate, was concurred in by the House, and went to the governor; HB 51 with minor amendment passed the Senate, was concurred in by the House, and went to the governor; HB 66 with minor amendment passed Senate committee, with minor amendment passed the Senate, was concurred in by the House, and went to the governor; HB 83 with minor amendment passed Senate committee, with minor amendment passed the Senate, was concurred in by the House, and went to the governor; HB 95 with minor amendment passed Senate committee, passed the Senate, was concurred in by the House, and went to the governor; SB 12 with minor amendment passed House committee, with minor amendment passed the House, was rejected by the Senate, and both chambers passed the conference report; SB 20 with major amendment passed House committee, with minor amendment passed the House, and was concurred in by the Senate; SB 32 was concurred in by the House and went to the governor; SB 74 passed House committee and passed the House.
THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 48 passed Senate committee, passed the Senate, and went to the governor.
