Legislative regular session rankings, 2011

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 238 was signed by the governor; HB 537 was vetoed by the governor; HB 636 was signed by the governor; HB 646 was signed by the governor; SB 266 was signed by the governor; SB 269 was signed by the governor (note: HB 537 and SB 266 essentially were identical).

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: SB 6 was vetoed by the governor.

SCORECARD

Legislative regular session through Jul. 9, 2011

The governor continues to deal with bills. Interestingly, he continues to sit on two bills, one from each chamber, which would do basically the same thing by transferring the University of New Orleans from the Louisiana State University System to the University of Louisiana system. Next week their final dispositions and rankings will appear.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 238 was signed by the governor; HB 377 was signed by the governor; HB 636 was signed by the governor; HB 646 was signed by the governor; SB 269 was signed by the governor.

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: SB 6 was vetoed by the governor; SB 171 was signed by the governor.

SCORECARD

Total number of bills, House: 646; total number of bills, Senate: 272.

Total number of good bills, House: 45; total number of good bills, Senate: 19.

Total number of bad bills, House: 26; total number of bad bills, Senate: 11.

Total House good bills heard in House committee: 38; total Senate good bills heard in Senate committee: 18.

Total House bad bills heard in House committee: 25; total Senate bad bills heard in Senate committee: 8.

Total House good bills passed by House committee: 30; total Senate good bills passed by Senate committee: 13.

Total House bad bills passed by House committee: 4; total Senate bad bills passed by Senate committee: 3.

Total House good bills approved by House: 21; total Senate good bills approved by Senate: 12.

Total House bad bills approved by House: 2; total Senate bad bills approved by Senate: 3.

Total House good bills heard in Senate committee: 20; total Senate good bills heard in House committee: 12.

Total House bad bills heard in Senate committee: 1; total Senate bad bills heard in House committee: 3.

Total House good bills approved by Senate committee: 20; total Senate good bills approved by House committee: 11.

Total House bad bills approved by Senate committee: 1; total Senate bad bills approved by House committee: 3.

Total House good bills approved by Senate: 16; total Senate good bills approved by House: 5.

Total House bad bills approved by Senate: 1; total Senate bad bills approved by House: 3.

Total House good bills going to governor: 16; total Senate good bills going to governor: 4.

Total House bad bills going to governor: 1; total Senate bad bills going to governor: 3.

Total House good bills signed by governor/filed with Secretary of State: 13; total Senate good bills signed by governor/filed with Secretary of State: 3.

Total House bad bills signed by governor/filed with Secretary of State: 1; total Senate bad bills signed by governor/filed with Secretary of State: 2.

Legislative regular session through Jul. 2, 2011

We continue in the 20-day period after the session ends where the governor may sign, veto, or let into law without signature bills. That will continue through next aweek nd then this year’s edition of the Log will close with the ratings of legislators and the governor

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 332 was signed by the governor; HB 384 was filed with the Secretary of State; HB 416 was signed by the governor; HB 435 was signed by the governor; HB 509 was signed by the governor; HB 526 was signed by the governor; HB 589 was signed by the governor; SB 13 was signed by the governor, SB 76 was signed by the governor.

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 313 was signed by the governor; SB 69 was signed by the governor.

SCORECARD

Total number of bills, House: 646; total number of bills, Senate: 272.

Total number of good bills, House: 45; total number of good bills, Senate: 19.

Total number of bad bills, House: 26; total number of bad bills, Senate: 11.

Total House good bills heard in House committee: 38; total Senate good bills heard in Senate committee: 18.

Total House bad bills heard in House committee: 25; total Senate bad bills heard in Senate committee: 8.

Total House good bills passed by House committee: 30; total Senate good bills passed by Senate committee: 13.

Total House bad bills passed by House committee: 4; total Senate bad bills passed by Senate committee: 3.

Total House good bills approved by House: 21; total Senate good bills approved by Senate: 12.

Total House bad bills approved by House: 2; total Senate bad bills approved by Senate: 3.

Total House good bills heard in Senate committee: 20; total Senate good bills heard in House committee: 12.

Total House bad bills heard in Senate committee: 1; total Senate bad bills heard in House committee: 3.

Total House good bills approved by Senate committee: 20; total Senate good bills approved by House committee: 11.

Total House bad bills approved by Senate committee: 1; total Senate bad bills approved by House committee: 3.

Total House good bills approved by Senate: 16; total Senate good bills approved by House: 5.

Total House bad bills approved by Senate: 1; total Senate bad bills approved by House: 3.

Total House good bills going to governor: 16; total Senate good bills going to governor: 4.

Total House bad bills going to governor: 1; total Senate bad bills going to governor: 3.

Total House good bills signed by governor/filed with Secretary of State: 10; total Senate good bills signed by governor/filed with Secretary of State: 2.

Total House bad bills signed by governor/filed with Secretary of State: 1; total Senate bad bills signed by governor/filed with Secretary of State: 1.

Legislative regular session through Jun. 25, 2011

Our wallets appear safe with the Legislature out of session. Now it’s just a matter of gubernatorial decisions.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 31 was signed by the governor; HB 238 passed Senate committee, passed the Senate, and was sent to the governor; HB 332 with minor amendment passed the Senate, was concurred in by the House, and was sent to the governor; HB 377 passed Senate committee, passed the Senate, and was sent to the governor; HB 384 passed Senate committee, passed the Senate, and was sent to the governor; HB 415 was signed by the governor; HB 416 with minor amendment passed the Senate, was concurred in by the House, and sent to the governor; HB 435 passed the Senate and was sent to the governor; HB 509 with minor amendment passed Senate committee, passed the Senate, was concurred in by the House, and sent to the governor; HB 526 passed the Senate and was sent to the governor; HB 537 with minor amendment was called from Senate committee, passed the Senate, was concurred in by the House, and was sent to the governor; HB 549 with minor amendment passed the Senate, was rejected by the House, went to conference, had conference report adopted by the House, had conference report adopted by the Senate, and was sent to the governor; HB 589 was sent to the governor; HB 636 was concurred in by the House and sent to the governor; HB 646 with minor amendment passed Senate committee, passed the Senate, was concurred in by the House, and sent to the governor; SB 113 failed to pass the House; SB 266 with minor amendment passed the House, was concurred in by the Senate, and was sent to the governor; SB 269 with minor amendment passed the House, was rejected by the Senate, went to conference, had conference report adopted by the House, had conference report adopted by the Senate, and was sent to the governor.

Legislative regular session through Jun. 18, 2011

Yes, I know the status of SB 259 can be confusing. With every stop it gyrates between being a good or bad bill, and even in between. For now, it remains good.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 7 with minor amendment passed Senate committee; HB 31 passed the Senate and was sent to the governor; HB 55 was signed by the governor; HB 203 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 332 passed Senate committee; HB 384 passed House committee and passed the House; HB 415 passed the Senate and was sent to the governor; HB 416 with major amendment passed Senate committee; HB 435 passed Senate committee; HB 509 passed Senate committee; HB 526 passed Senate committee; HB 549 with minor amendment passed Senate committee; HB 589 passed Senate committee and passed the Senate; HB 636 with major amendment passed the Senate; HB 642 passed Senate committee; SB 13 passed the House and was sent to the governor; SB 66 with major amendment passed the House, had Senate reject amendment, and went to conference; SB 76 passed the House; SB 113 passed House committee; SB 114 with minor amendment passed House committee; SB 259 with major amendment passed House committee; SB 266 with minor amendment passed House committee; SB 269 passed House committee.

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 15 with minor amendment passed House committee, passed the House; HB 313 passed Senate committee; SB 6 passed the Senate and was sent to the governor; SB 69 passed House committee; SB 171 with minor amendment passed House committee.

Committee action, Jun. 13: SB 53, SB 69, SB 113, SB 131

DID YOU KNOW?

SB 53 by Sen. John Alario would amend the Constitution to cap the amount of money in the Millennium Trust Fund and use some of the money over that amount of $1.38 billion to fund the Taylor Opportunity Program for Scholars, increasing the amount from the MTF that goes to TOPS.

The House Appropriations Committee was told the diversion of the payments, at a 2.5 percent interest rate, would cost around $1.5 billion from money diverted from funding other items through the MTF, but they would generate $3.9 billion in terms of savings from the general fund to fund TOPS and in the elimination of the annuity payments associated with the fund (from the sales of tobacco settlement proceeds). When federal matching funds are involved theoretically over 40 years, the loss is $3 billion but the gain is (depending on where it was spent) as much as $12.3 billion.

After approval of technical amendments, Rep. Pat Smith, after basically to have it all explained to her again, asked about whether TOPS was retaining students. She was told statistics show TOPS did increase retention rates, but she said it also concerned her as to what happened afterwards, so that the bill was more keeping students in college, not in the state. Smith insisted the bill did not address presumed “high-ability” students who did not qualify for TOPS.

Legislative regular session through Jun. 11, 2011

While from time to time in the legislative process a good bill gets its salutary features neutered, or a bad bill becomes benign, for the first time in seven years a bill actually has gone straight from one category to another. HB 306 with substantial changes has gone from unworkable and detrimental to desirable.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 31 passed Senate committee; HB 55 passed the Senate; HB 175 became HB 646 by substitute; HB 306 with major amendment passed committee, with minor amendment passed the House; HB 332 passed the House; HB 377 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 415 passed Senate committee; HB 416 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 435 passed House committee, passed the House; HB 530 with major amendment passed the House; HB 537 passed Senate committee; HB 545 was involuntarily deferred by House committee; HB 646 with minor amendment passed the House; SB 13 passed House committee; SB 66 with major amendment passed House committee; SB 76 with minor amendment passed House committee; SB 259 with major amendment passed the Senate; SB 266 with minor amendment passed the Senate; SB 269 passed the Senate.

Legislative regular session through Jun. 4, 2011

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 55 passed Senate committee; HB 175 passed House committee; HB 411 passed House committee;  HB 448 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 589 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 636 with minor amendment passed Senate committee; SB 108 passed the Senate; SB 259 with minor amendments passed Senate committee.

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: SB 6 with minor amendment passed the Senate; SB 171 with minor amendment passed the Senate.

SCORECARD

Legislative regular session through May 28, 2011

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 238 passed House committee; HB 277 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 332 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 391 with major amendment passed House committee, had amendments rejected by House committee; HB 415 passed the House; HB 416 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 440 was reported by substitute by House committee to become HB 642; HB 479 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 509 passed the House; HB 526 passed the House; HB 530 with major amendment passed House committee; HB 537 with major amendment passed the House; HB 587 was reported by substitute by House committee to become HB 645; HB 589 passed House committee; SB 76 with minor amendments passed the Senate; SB 183 was reported by substitute by Senate committee to become SB 266; SB 249 was reported by substitute by Senate committee to become SB 269.

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 388 passed House committee; HB 436 was involuntarily deferred; SB 6 with major amendment passed Senate committee.

SCORECARD

Committee action, May 23: SB 4, SB 6

DID YOU KNOW?

SB 6 by Sen. Butch Gautreaux would force charter schools to pay off a proportion of the unfunded accrued liability for retirement if they leave that system. Work by the Senate Retirement Committee already had begun on the bill and after additional time to consider things, the committee undid its amending from last week and then adopted other amendments that incorporated them. The most difficult seemed to be over how to define “proportionate share.”

Sen. A.G. Crowe raised a point of order that as the bill’s sponsor also was the chairman of the committee, that it would be better for him to turn the committee’s operation over to the vice chairman to keep the confusion to a minimum when dealing with his bill. Gautreaux said he had run the committee this way for eight years and was not going to change it now.

Opponents testified that they weren’t necessarily against the concept, but they thought without specifics, in terms of a formula to figure out just what this cost could be, that they couldn’t be in favor of the bill.

Legislative regular session through May 21, 2011

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 7 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 31 with passed the House; HB 55 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 415 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 426 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 479 passed House committee; HB 509 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 526 passed House committee; HB 633 passed House committee; HB 634 passed House committee; SB 13 passed the Senate; SB 66 with minor amendments passed the Senate; SB 113 with minor amendment passed Senate committee and the Senate; SB 114 with minor amendment passed Senate committee and the Senate; SB 131 with minor amendment passed the Senate; SB 137 with minor amendment passed the Senate; SB 144 with major amendment passed Senate committee and the Senate; SB 183 with major amendment passed Senate committee; SB 259 passed Senate committee.

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD:

Committee action, May 16: SB 147, SB 171, SB 113, SB 114, SB 218

DID YOU KNOW?

SB 147 by Sen. Pres. Joel Chaisson would address what he termed a flaw in the workings of the Budget Stabilization Fund. He told the Senate Finance Committee when it hits its maximum, money that goes out has to come right back in. He wished to change it by allowing a phasing back in deposits, because otherwise the process meant a refilling almost immediately if the fund was at its maximum (caused by “excess” mineral revenues, when the fund is pushed over $850 million). Under this proposed constitutional amendment, the second fiscal year after use would require a quarter of it to be paid back annually until all last taken or the constitutional cap (at four percent of state receipts) was reached.

After amendment without objection, the committee reported favorably without objection. Then its companion SB 171 was dealt with similarly.

DID YOU KNOW?

SB 113 by Sen. A.G. Crowe would increase budget flexibility for times of budgetary deficit, who noted 71 percent of the current budget in some way was locked in to specific spending. Crowe noted that the current five percent variance allowed applied only to state funds, so his bill would allow the variance when a deficit came from state and/or federal revenue.

Legislative regular session through May 14, 2011

Even though bill introduction ended last week, a slight tick upwards in total numbers may continue as substitute bills are permitted under regular rules almost to the very end of the session. There also may be select inclusions and removals from the list of good and bad bills depending upon how they are amended. This past week, SB 81 was amended into a benign form and thus is removed from the list of bad bills.

Note also that some links are not present, as with HB 55, SB 66, and SB 76, and occasionally the count of bills that have moved from committee will be off from week to week. This is because the Legislature’s staff gets lazy at times and does not properly update all bills’ status or current texts. For example, with HB 55, it still lists as having been heard in committee with no action (that is, passage or involuntarily deferral, when in fact it was passed out of committee (see http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/05/bill_limiting_convicted_sex_of.html).

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 7 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 31 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 55 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 537 passed House committee; HB 549 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 636 passed the House; SB 13 passed Senate committee; SB 66 with minor amendment passed Senate committee; SB 76 with minor amendment passed Senate committee; SB 108 with major amendment passed Senate committee; SB 131 with minor amendment passed Senate committee; SB 137 with minor amendment passed Senate committee.

Committee action, May 9: HB 537

DID YOU KNOW?

HB 537 would merge Southern University New Orleans and the University of New Orleans. Already having discussed the policy aspects in the House Education Committee, the House Appropriations Committee now was to deal with the financial aspects.

Author and Speaker Jim Tucker outlined costs over the next two fiscal years, which would be less than $3.15 million, after which there would be no costs but would assume no savings as the same amounts of money were expected to be allocated to the universities whether merged. Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater said these costs were to the system in which the merged entity would exist, the University of Louisiana’s, to defray its costs to not have to dip into its other operating funds, which otherwise would be legally required.

Chairman Jim Fannin asked about the nature of the costs.

Legislative regular session through May 7, 2011

We're off to a slow start, and there was actually more action in bills trickling in than in existing ones being dealt with.

THE GOOD: SB 262 by Sen. Jack Donahue would provide tax credits to assist educational improvement (HB 633, HB 634, and SB 259 are similar bills to HB 309).

THE BAD: HB 600 by Rep. Damon Baldone would make state income tax less proportional; HB 622 by Rep. Michael Jackson would create a local government for the express purpose of raising property taxes for public transportation; HB 623  by Jackson would create a local government for the express purpose of raising sales taxes for public transportation; HB 630 by Rep. Harold Ritchie would increase taxes by reducing deductible items.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 25 was withdrawn; HB 426 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 537 passed House committee; HB 549 with minor amendment passed House committee and passed the House; HB 586 passed House committee was substituted for by HB 636.

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: SB 8 was withdrawn; SB 69 passed House committee and the House.

SCORECARD

Total number of bills, House: 636; total number of bills, Senate: 265.

Total number of good bills, House: 44; total number of good bills, Senate: 19.

Total number of bad bills, House: 27; total number of bad bills, Senate: 12.

Total House good bills heard in House committee: 5; total Senate good bills heard in Senate committee: 0.

Total House bad bills heard in House committee: 0; total Senate bad bills heard in Senate committee: 2.

Total House good bills passed by House committee: 3; total Senate good bills passed by Senate committee: 0.

Total House bad bills passed by House committee: 0; total Senate bad bills passed by Senate committee: 1.

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: 1.

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.