DID
YOU KNOW?
HB 911
by Rep. Franklin
Foil would continue to give 150 percent of the Minimum Foundation Program to
students with disabilities (by federal IDEA guidelines) to attend private
schools in some parts of the state. He told the House Education Committee
that the bill would remove a sunset procedure and add more grades to it, but a
planned increase to 175 percent had to be jettisoned due to the state’s tight
funding situation. The money comes out of the general fund, not the MFP.
Opponents
argued that by its nature it was supposed to be a pilot program but now has
appeared as a full-time, expanded program without enough data to analyze. They
said the federal dollars for public schools weren’t adequate enough anyway,
those they called “left behind.” When asked about putting a sunset back on,
however, they said they still would oppose it because they thought those with
greater degrees of disabilities would be disproportionately remaining in public
schools. Nor does it pay for all tuition in all cases.
Rep.
John Edwards
asked whether a sunset could occur in two more years, and Foil said he was
amenable to this. Edwards also wanted to make sure some kind of report was
issued about it, and Foil said he was amenable to having one. But he said
timing could be an issue. They figured relevant amendments could be added on
the floor.
Without
opposition, the bill was reported.
DID
YOU KNOW?
SB
690 by Sen. Sherri Buffington would
transfer the state’s Elderly Protection Services from the Governor’s Office of
Elderly Affairs to Adult Protection Services Department of Health and
Hospitals. After offering a substitute to the Senate Education Committee,
she said it had nothing to do with merging the two offices. Supporters argued
that this would streamline services, not different agencies for different ages,
and it did not presage a merger which they said for the short term had been
shelved.
Opponents
argued the new arrangement would lead to less exact services, as EPS tends to
go into homes, while APS goes usually into facilities. They said the 60+ in
ages were a different population more likely to be accepting of EPS services
than APS.
Senators
seemed concerned about how costs would be worked out and whether services would
be maintained in quality. Supporters said they saw no differences in services
and their quality, possible less expensively without possible duplication.
The
substitute was moved, and to objected to. It passed 4-3, with Sens. Buffington,
Dan Claitor, Elbert Guillory, and Fred Mills in favor, with Sens. Yvonne Dorsey-Colomb, Dale Erdey, and Ben Nevers against.
DID
YOU KNOW?
HB 212
by Rep. Dee
Richard would disallow legislators from taking jobs in the executive branch
for two years after their legislative service. He said to the House and Governmental
Affairs Committee that this didn’t go over well with the public, and wasn’t
that big of a sacrifice.
Rep.
Greg Miller asked
why should this be limited just to legislators, if the idea being prohibited was
bad. Richard said he was interested in his body on this matter. Miller argued that
this sent the wrong impression, that those with much experience in policy areas
can contribute positively to governance should not be stigmatized for some
reason like they are angling for a job after legislative service. Richard said
laws create implications of all kinds.
Rep.
Pat Smith,
whose HB
244 is similar, too many legislators accept employment outside areas of
qualifications. Miller said it was not so much the job, but the salary levels,
and did not think limitations were helpful, both on the appointer and appointee
as other opponents added. Smith then added a complaint against lack of “diversity”
in appointments.
The
bill was moved for involuntarily deferral, so without objection it was. The
same was done to HB 244, with the same result.
DID
YOU KNOW?
HB 337
by Richard would amend the Constitution to change legislative redistricting to
a presumably nonpartisan procedure. A commission with nominees from various governmental
authorities with the nominees from outside of government would produce a plan that
the Legislature could accept or reject only.
Rep.
Taylor Barras
did not think such a board would have expertise to understand the relationships
among communities with smaller districts, such as for the Legislature. Rep. Steve Pugh said
there didn’t seem to be any legal problems with the last attempt, so why change
it? Rep. Tony
Ligi didn’t see that a separate board was sufficiently accountable. Richard
said final approval would come from the Legislature, but Ligi said that wasn’t
direct enough both for accountability and for the quality of the process.
One
of Richard’s constituent testified in favor, and said while this would not
completely take politics out of the process, he thought the process was too
deferential to existing legislators and thereby inappropriately split Terrebone
Parish. Another testifier who spoke for informational purposes said
professional groups were available with expertise to perform these functions.
Ligi
had moved to involuntarily defer, and without objection it was.
DID
YOU KNOW?
HB 1133
by Rep. Thomas
Carmody would prevent transfer of assets from nonprofit associations such
as alumni foundations from one school to another without approval of the Board
of Regents and the governing authority of the institutional affiliate.
Supporters,
all of whom were graduates of Louisiana State University Shreveport and/or who
had donated to the LSUS Foundation and/or created scholarships there, argued to
the House Education Committee that they intended their monies to go to
particular institutions and thought it would be bad faith and discouraging to
future donors to have monies used for reasons different than those under which
they thought these were going to.
Carmody
also introduced amendments, which he said clarified that the bill would affect
only instances where institutions were transferred from one system to another,
but still allow them to happen within systems voluntarily, without donor
notification, unless the governing authority asks for a meeting at which donors
could attend. Need of notification would occur when it was a transfer between
systems. They were adopted without objection.
But
then Carmody offered a substitute, which was the now-amended bill, and then
voluntarily deferred it, with the intent to bring it back up if it appeared
that a scenario where a transferred school would have these monies raided could
occur.
DID
YOU KNOW
HB 209
by Foil would have polls open for most elections at 7 AM rather than 6 AM. Testifying
in favor of the bill to the Senate and
Governmental Affairs Committee was Sec. of State Tom Schedler. He noted
statistics showed little activity occurred before 7 AM, that early voting was
more widely available than ever, and these longest hours in the country
discouraged elections commissioners from
working them, creating a burgeoning crisis. It had picked up an amendment to
apply it only to state elections, which Schedler said he was not a fan of but
that Foil indicated was needed to pass the bill.
Opponents
from unions argued lopping off the extra hour would create hardship on some
employees with unusual shift times. Sen. Mike Walsworth agreed with
Schedler that early voting should allay any of these difficulties, and that the
crisis of lack of commissioners was concern enough to try to attract more by
shortening hours. Opponents said higher pay was the answer.
When
it came time for a vote, committee Republicans were in favor and Democrats
against – except that Sen. Neil Riser
was absent and Chairman Jody Amedee
voted with the Democrats against. Thus, it failed to pass 4-4, but left open
the possibility that it could return in the future.
QUOTE
OF THE DAY:
“I
would never take a job … where I had to deal with numbers”
Smith,
relative to her HB 244.
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