Committee action, May 28: SB 215, SB 188

DID YOU KNOW?

SB 215 by Sen. David Heitmeier would allow for Mississippi River ferries in the New Orleans area to be operated with money from the state. Rep. Jeff Arnold explained to the House Appropriations Committee that without Crescent City Connection tolls, in order to run ferries money that would have gone to the CCC from fees collected from trucks and trailers in Orleans Parish that also go to the Causeway to pay off its bonds. The other half had been paying off CCC bonds but now would go to the Chalmette ferry. It would not include the Canal Street ferry although a subsequent agreement could include operation of more, and the $4 million subsidy would sunset in 2018.

Rep. Robert Billiot asked about privatization efforts and whether attempts would continue. He was told they were looking at the Regional Transit Authority (which is not a private operator) to do that next year.

With no opposition, the bill passed.

Legislative regular session through May 25, 2013

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 6 with minor amendment passed the Senate; HB 8 with minor amendment passed the Senate; HB 98 with minor amendment passed Senate committee; HB 111 with minor amendment passed Senate committee; HB 582 passed the Senate; SB 20 with minor amendment passed House committee; SB 31 with minor amendment passed the House; SB 36 passed House committee; SB 90 with minor amendment passed House committee; SB 165 passed House committee.

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 174 passed Senate committee and the Senate; HB 233 failed to pass the House; HB 352 passed Senate committee; HB 682 passed House committee; SB 33 passed House committee; SB 61 with minor amendment passed House committee; SB 63 with minor amendment passed House committee.

SCORECARD

Committe action, May 21: HB 625, SB 33

DID YOU KNOW?

HB 625 by Rep. Randal Gaines would undo the loosening of tenure protections previously passed in terms of disciplinary procedures for teachers. It claimed many procedural issues from previous reform that needed resolution, and was causing confusion.

Rep. Nancy Landry from the House Education Committee pointed out that this seemed pretty much like the system that had been replaced, and that had caused an unrealistically-low removal rate of ineffective teachers. Gaines said the previous effort was too hasty and a familiar system was best to correct for the asserted shortcomings. Landry said this turned the focus away from achievement and these changes in the bill broke the link between outcomes and continued employment. She said there may be procedural problems worth fixing, but that this bill went far beyond that.

Rep. Chris Broadwater asked who would pay for these added procedures, which seemed to him this would increase costs on schools. However, it was possible that arbitrators would pass costs onto other parties.

Legislative regular session through May 18, 2013

Interestingly, this week one bill made the unusual move of going from one category to another. HB 693 had started as a bad bill because it expanded the use of motion picture investor tax credits. But as a result of committee action this week, it became not only more like HB 696 which limits exposure to credits, but goes even farther. Thus, it flips categories.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 6 passed Senate committee; HB 8 passed Senate committee; HB 68 was substituted for by HB 729; HB 161 was withdrawn; HB 525 was approved by Senate committee; HB 582 passed House committee; HB 693 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 725 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 727 passed House committee; SB 4 was withdrawn; SB 45 passed House committee; SB 165 with minor amendment passed the Senate,

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 174 passed Senate committee; HB 240 passed House committee; HB 352 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 387 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 706 failed to pass the House; SB 33 passed House committee; SB 63 passed the Senate.

Committee action, May 13: SB 215, HB 693, HB 268

DID YOU KNOW?

SB 215 by Sen. Francis Heitmeier would force funding for Mississippi River ferries by transferring operations to metropolitan New Orleans’ Regional Transit Authority. The House Transportation, Highways, and Public Works Committee was told that they would collect fees, but then also take money from license plate fees in the area. This was in response to the state defunding their operations.

It attracted no substantial questions or opposition, and therefore was approved without objection.

Legislative regular session through May 11, 2013

Because of improving amendment, HB 115 has been removed from the bad bill list.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 87 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 98 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 111 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 162 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 197 was substituted by HB 725; HB 444 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 666 was involuntarily deferred; HB 696 was reported unfavorably by House committee and with major amendment passed the House; HB 725 passed House committee; SB 31 with minor amendment passed House committee; SB 45 with minor amendment passed the Senate; SB 118 with minor amendment passed House committee; SB 165 with minor amendment passed Senate committee; SB 259 passed the Senate.

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 160 passed the House; HB 179 was involuntarily deferred; HB 233 with major amendment passed House committee; HB 240 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 352 passed House committee; HB 387 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 519 passed House committee; HB 653 was unfavorably reported by House committee and with major amendment passed the House; HB 706 passed House committee; SB 33 with minor amendment passed the Senate.

Committee action, May 6: HB 240, HB 519

DID YOU KNOW?

HB 240 by Rep. Kenny Havard would allow legislative committees to interpose themselves in the administrative contracting process, for those more than $5 million, to see whether a contract is worth it and its implications, even as it already is part of the Administrative Procedure Act.  Technical amendments were to the House Appropriations Committee offered and adopted without objection.

Opponents from the Division of Administration noted that this added an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy, despite several other vetting stops within both the executive branch and Legislature, which has the effect of discouraging privatization and in that respect, contrary to Havard’s assertion, was anti-privatization. It also forcibly makes contractors to offer job opportunities to former state employees into privatized operations, which are neither necessary nor appropriate at all times. It also subjects privatization to additional scrutiny beyond tasks done by government employees.

Rep. Roy Burrell wondered whether any follow-up was done to check on whether laid off employees subsequently took on lower-paid jobs or had any job at all. They replied that often this frees employees for better positions even in government.

Legislative regular session through May 4, 2013

HB 116 is being removed from the list of bad bills as it has mutated into a benign form. The same is true with HB 343; however, these will be monitored to ensure future amendment do not unwind the reasons for which they were initially objectionable. With tax and budgetary reform in flux, many mutations may occur in the next week. And, a new bill by substitute joins the list of the good, SB 259 by Sen. Barrow Peacock, which will shore up unfunded accrued liabilities in pensions for firefighters.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 6 passed the House; HB 88 was involuntarily deferred; HB 98 with minor amendment passed committee; HB 111 with major amendment passed committee; SB 4 with minor amendment passed committee; SB 20 passed the Senate; SB 36 with major amendment passed the Senate.

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 160 with minor amendment passed committee; HB 174 with minor amendment passed committee; HB 284 was involuntarily deferred; SB 33 with minor amendment passed Senate committee; SB 125 with major amendment passed Senate committee; SB 153 with minor amendment passed Senate committee; SB 215 passed the Senate.