14 November 2020

Second Extraordinary Session through Nov. 14, 2020

With his constitutional time expiring to cast a veto, Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards did the expected.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 83 was signed by the governor; SB 20 was vetoed by the governor; SB 74 was vetoed by the governor.

SCORECARD:

31 October 2020

Second Extraordinary Session through Oct. 31, 2020

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.

24 October 2020

Second Extraordinary Session through Oct. 24, 2020

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.

17 October 2020

Second Extraordinary Session through Oct. 17, 2020

The usual rules don’t apply during a special session, so bills still are getting introduced and may qualify for the list. And they still can drop off the list as well, as did SB 75 when neutered in committee.

THE GOOD: HB 95 by Rep. Rhonda Butler would reduce personal isolation of persons with disabilities during public health emergencies.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 9 with major amendment passed the House; HB 20 with minor amendment passed Senate committee; HB 98 was substituted for HB 33, HB 38 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 43 with major amendment passed House committee and passed the House; HB 51 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 66 with minor amendment passed committee and with minor amendment passed the House; HB 67 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 83 with minor amendment passed House committee and with minor amendment passed the House; HB 95 passed House committee and with minor amendment passed the House; HB 98 with minor amendment passed the House; SB 12 with minor amendment passed Senate committee and with minor amendment passed the Senate; SB 32 passed House committee and with minor amendment passed the House; SB 74 passed Senate committee and the Senate.

10 October 2020

Second Extraordinary Session through Oct. 10, 2020

More bills accumulate for this session, but one drops of the list of bad bills. SB 31 was amended in committee to make its impact benign.

THE GOOD: HB 83 by Rep. Troy Romero would extend student disciplinary protections to virtual instruction environments (similar bill: HB 91); HB 90 by Beryl Amedee would protect better individual rights during emergencies; SB 74 by Sen. Heather Cloud would promote election integrity; SB 75 by Sen. Barry Milligan would make it less likely that in-state entities would become party to an trade abusive relationship with the People’s Republic of China.

THE BAD: HB 88 by Rep. Royce Duplessis would plunge the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund into greater debt; HB 92 by Rep. Maggie Landry would add a potential needless expense to state government; SB 76 by Sen. Jay Luneau would create penalties too draconian for misclassification of employees for workers’ compensation purposes.

03 October 2020

Second Extraordinary Session through Oct. 3, 2020

The threat materialized, and so Louisianans will have to endure the 2020 Second Extraordinary Session of the Louisiana Legislature, to last potentially through Oct. 27. As always, bills introduced are good or bad for the state.

THE GOOD: HB 3 by Rep. Jack McFarland would require vetting of a governor’s public health emergency declaration (similar bills: HB 4, HB 15, HB 17, HB 19, HB 23, HB 57, HB 60, HB 61, HB 68, SB 43, SB 48); HB 7 by Rep. Phillip DeVillier would improve the capital outlay process; HB 9 by Rep. Danny McCormick would strengthen religious liberty protections (similar bill: HB 71); HB 11 by Rep. Thomas Pressly would clarify the public health emergency powers of the governor; HB 20 by Rep. Rick Edmonds would aid families who spent extra on children’s education as a result of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic; HB 31 by Rep. Zee Zeringue would reestablish higher education autonomy measures (similar bill, SB 32); HB 38 by Rep. Lance Harris would maintain adequate funding of police departments (similar bill: HB 67); HB 51 by Rep. Blake Miguez would reduce opportunities for voting fraud; HB 66 by Rep. Beau Beaullieu would reduce improper unemployment benefits payouts; SB 12 by Sen. Robert Mills would reduce personal isolation during public health emergencies (similar bills: HB 33, HB 43); SB 20 by Sen. Sharon Hewitt would improve the emergency election procedure process.

In its original form, SB 29 by Pres. Page Cortez had a neutral rating. But after the legislative process in both houses, it has been upgraded to a good bill.

26 July 2020

Legislative regular session-plus scores, 2020

With everything dealt with, the Louisiana Legislature log presents its 2020 Louisiana Legislature scorecard. In a first, it actually will combine both Regular and First Extraordinary Session votes to compile this since the latter really acted as an appendage to the former.

Thirteen bills were selected and weighed for computation. These were chosen mainly from the watch list compiled throughout the session. For a bill’s vote(s) to be selected, in one chamber there had to be more than one legislator not voting for the winning or losing side.

Being that passage of bills depends upon the seated membership of a body, not voting is counted as a negative vote. However, if a legislator had a leave of absence granted for that day, his absent votes weren’t counted for bills voted on that day and the score adjusted to take that into account. The governor wasn’t scored on two items because they were constitutional amendments.

18 July 2020

First Extraordinary Session through Jul. 18. 2020

After days of inactivity relative to good bills of the special session, the governor acted on the remainder, choosing not to let all of these become law without his signature. The next edition of the Log will feature the scorecard, with bills from both the regular and special sessions.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 57 was signed by the governor; SB 9 was signed by the governor; SB 16 was signed by the governor; SB 18 was signed by the governor.

SCORECARD:

05 July 2020

First Extraordinary Session through Jul. 4, 2020

The 2020 First Extraordinary Session of the Louisiana Legislature came to a close this past week, really just extending the regular session a month after that effort lost essentially 45 days to inactivity over the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. As such, the 2020 scorecard will include legislation from both and be computed once all relevant bills have been dealt with.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 55 was concurred in and was sent to the governor; HB 57 conference report was approved by the Senate, was recommitted to conference, had conference report approved by House and Senate, and was sent to the governor; SB 12 was filed with the secretary of state.

SCORECARD:

27 June 2020

First Extraordinary Session through Jun. 27, 2020

Bill introduction has ceased. HB 66 was struck from the list of good bills because of an added amendment that would have the effect of raising personal vehicle insurance rates across the board.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 41 with major amendment passed the House; HB 44 with major amendment passed Senate committee and passed the Senate; HB 50 passed Senate committee; HB 55 with minor amendment passed the Senate; HB 57 with major amendment passed the Senate and concurrence was rejected by the House; SB 9 passed House committee and the House and was sent to the governor; SB 12 with minor amendment passed the Senate, passed House committee, passed the House and was concurred in; SB 16 passed House committee and the House and was sent to the governor; SB 18 with minor amendment passed the Senate, with minor amendment passed House committee, passed the House, and was concurred in.

SCORECARD:

20 June 2020

First Extraordinary Session through Jun. 20, 2020

Bills continue to trickle in and a few are making progress, with ten days left in the session.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 14 was discharged from committee; HB 23 was discharged from committee; HB 28 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 36 passed the House; HB 41 failed to pass the House; HB 44 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 50 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 54 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 55 passed the House; HB 57 with minor amendment passed the House and with major amendment passed Senate committee; HB 60 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 66 with minor amendment passed House committee; SB 9 passed House committee; SB 16 with minor amendment passed the Senate.

Regular legislative session through Jun. 20, 2020

The governor has dealt with all of the good and bad bills identified for this session, so all that remains is the computation of the scorecard.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 140 was signed by the governor; HB 690 was signed by the governor; HB 746 was signed by the governor; SB 166 was signed by the governor; SB 231 was signed by the governor; SB 351 was signed by the governor; SB 423 was signed by the governor; SB 461 was signed by the governor; SB 491 was signed by the governor.

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 676 was signed by the governor; HB 763 was signed by the governor; HB 819 was signed by the governor; SB 437 was signed by the governor.

13 June 2020

First Extraordinary Session through Jun. 13, 2020

The special session nears its halfway point, with many bills still coming in even though others have made considerable legislative progress.

THE GOOD: HB 49 by Rep. Barry Ivey would amend the Constitution to allow for payment in lieu of property taxes (similar bill: HB 50); HB 54 by Ivey would create greater flexibility in granting tax abatements for capital projects; HB 55 by Rep. Mike Johnson would encourage greater seat belt use and lower insurance rates (similar bills: HB 57, HB 60, HB 66, SB 16); SB 18 by Sen. Big Mike Fesi would increase the ability to pay out unclaimed property funds in a more timely fashion.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 14 passed House committee; HB 23 passed House committee; HB 26 with major amendment passed House committee; HB 28 passed House committee; HB 36 passed House committee; HB 41 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 42 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 43 passed with minor amendment House committee; HB 44 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 50 with major amendment passed House committee; HB 54 with major amendment passed House committee; HB 57 with minor amendment passed House committee; SB 9 with major amendment passed Senate committee and with major amendment passed the Senate; SB 12 passed Senate committee; SB 18 passed Senate committee.

Regular legislative session through Jun. 13, 2020

It’s now all about bill disposition by the governor.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 334 was signed by the governor; SB 75 was signed by the governor; SB 157 was signed by the governor; SB 418 was vetoed by the governor.

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 328 was signed by the governor.

06 June 2020

First Extraordinary Session through Jun. 6, 2020

The 2020 First Extraordinary Session of the Louisiana Legislature kicked off this week, in partial response to the month-and-a-half layoff during the regular session taken because of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. Let’s see what good and bad offerings have surfaced, none of which moved this week:

THE GOOD: HB 14 by Speaker Clay Schexnayder would amend the Constitution to allow for centralized sales tax collection; HB 20 by Rep. Debbie Villio would create managed care for Medicaid long-term care; HB 23 by Rep. Stephen Dwight would amend the Constitution to allow for payment in lieu of property taxes (similar bills: HB 28, HB 33, HB 38, HB 41); HB 26 by Rep. Zee Zeringue would extend self-autonomy powers of higher education institutions; HB 36 by Rep. Barry Ivey would amend the Constitution to bring uniformity to property tax exemptions;  SB 1 by Sen. Patrick Connick would change vehicle insurance laws as compared to present law to a form in states with lower insurance rates (similar bills: SB 2, SB 3, SB 9, HB 42, HB 43, HB 44); SB 12 by Sen. Big Mike Fesi would amend the Constitution to increase the ability of the state to pay out unclaimed funds in a timely fashion.

THE BAD: HB 10 by Rep. Cedric Glover would decrease the state’s ability to leverage highway construction dollars; HB 24 by Rep. Ted James would impose an unnecessary level of legislative intervention into executive branch decision-making; HB 30 by James would introduce arbitrary elements into vehicle insurance rate determinations (similar bills: HB 31, HB 32).

Regular legislative session through Jun. 6, 2020

Even as a special session sprints from the gate, the 2020 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature comes down the homestretch, with matters now in the hands of the governor (and Legislature, should it choose to override any vetoes).

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 140 had conference report passed by the House and the Senate and was sent to the governor; HB 334 was concurred in and sent to the governor; HB 445 failed to pass the Senate; HB 690 was concurred in and sent to the governor; HB 746 was sent to the governor; SB 75 had conference report passed by the House and the Senate and was sent to the governor; SB 157 was sent to the governor; SB 166 was sent to the governor; SB 231 was sent to the governor; SB 351 was concurred in and sent to the governor; SB 418 had conference report passed by the House and Senate and was sent to the governor; SB 423 was concurred in and sent to the governor; SB 461 was concurred in and sent to the governor; SB 491 was sent to the governor; SB 498 was sent to and assigned by the governor.

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 97 was sent to and signed by the governor; HB 241 was sent to and signed by the governor; HB 328 was sent to the governor; HB 676 was concurred in and sent to the governor; HB 763 was concurred in and sent to the governor; HB 819 was concurred in and sent to the governor; SB 437 was sent to the governor.

30 May 2020

Regular legislative session through May 30, 2020

We enter the final days of the 2020 Regular Session, but, if your favorite bill didn’t make it, fear not; a special session is on the way which might allow for a mulligan.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 140 passed Senate committee and passed the Senate with minor amendment; HB 334 passed Senate committee and with minor amendment passed the Senate; HB 445 passed Senate committee; HB 689 passed Senate committee; HB 690 passed Senate committee and with minor amendment passed the Senate; HB 746 passed Senate committee and passed the Senate; HB 868 with minor amendment passed the House; SB 75 passed House committee and with minor amendment passed the House; SB 157 with minor amendment passed the House and was concurred in by the Senate; SB 166 with minor amendment passed the House and was concurred in by the Senate; SB 231 passed House committee and passed the House; SB 351 passed House committee and with minor amendment passed the House; SB 418 with minor amendment passed House committee and passed the House; SB 423 passed House committee and with minor amendment passed the House; SB 461 with minor amendment passed House committee and with minor amendment passed the House; SB 491 passed House committee and passed the House; SB 498 passed the House and was concurred in by the Senate.

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 97 passed the Senate; HB 241 passed Senate committee and passed the Senate; HB 328 passed the Senate; HB 676 with minor amendment passed Senate committee and with minor amendment passed the Senate; HB 763 with minor amendment passed the Senate; HB 819 with minor amendment passed the Senate; SB 437 passed House committee and passed the House.

23 May 2020

Regular legislative session through May 23, 2020

The Legislature entered the turn to home this week. If anything would move outside of a special session, which seems extremely likely, it had to start the process this week, if not clear its chamber of origin. HB 866 was removed from the list of good bills as its emendation narrowed its focus drastically. Also, HB 344 was removed from the list of bad bills as its emendation made it benign.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 140 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 334 passed the House; HB 445 passed the House; HB 497 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 690 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 746 passed the House; SB 157 with minor amendment passed House committee; SB 166 with minor amendment passed the Senate and with minor amendment passed House committee; SB 231 passed the Senate; SB 418 with minor amendment passed the Senate; SB 423 with minor amendment passed Senate committee and with minor amendment passed the Senate; SB 491 with minor amendment passed the Senate; SB 498 with minor amendment passed House committee.

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 97 passed Senate committee; HB 188 passed House committee; HB 241 passed the House; HB 328 passed Senate committee; HB 419 was deferred involuntarily; HB 763 with minor amendment passed Senate committee; HB 814 passed the House; HB 819 passed Senate committee; SB 347 with minor amendment passed the Senate; SB 486 was deferred involuntarily.

16 May 2020

Regular legislative session through May 16, 2020

With the Legislature working five days a week (gasp!), members are plowing through a fair number of bills.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 9 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 118 passed the House; HB 140 passed House committee; HB 242 passed the House; HB 334 passed House committee; HB 689 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 690 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 703 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 746 passed House committee; HB 850 passed House committee; SB 75 passed the Senate; SB 157 with minor amendment passed Senate committee and with minor amendment passed the Senate; SB 231 passed Senate committee; SB 351 with minor amendment passed Senate committee; SB 418 with minor amendment passed Senate committee; SB 461 passed the Senate.

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 97 passed the House; HB 158 passed House committee; HB 328 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 344 passed House committee; HB 625 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 676 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 763 with minor amendment passed the House; HB 814 passed House committee; HB 819 passed the House; SB 293 passed Senate committee; SB 437 passed Senate committee.

09 May 2020

Regular legislative session through May 9, 2020

The Legislature finally gets going again, with HB 464 and 469 removed from the list of bad bills after their emendations.

THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 118 passed House committee; HB 193 was withdrawn; HB 242 passed House committee; HB 347 passed House committee; HB 445 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 689 passed House committee; HB 703 with minor amendment passed House committee; SB 75 with minor amendment passed Senate committee; SB 187 was deferred involuntarily; SB 351 with minor amendment passed Senate committee; SB 461 passed Senate committee; SB 491 with minor amendment passed Senate committee.

THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 97 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 328 with minor amendment passed House committee; HB 819 with major amendment passed House committee; HB 832 was deferred involuntarily; SB 13 was deferred involuntarily; SB 15 was deferred involuntarily.

02 May 2020

Regular legislative session through May 2, 2020

With the Legislature finally ready to resume on May 4, presented here are good and bad bills introduced in the interim.

THE GOOD: HB 733 by Rep. Zee Zeringue would extend higher education efficiency measures (similar bill: HB 829); HB 746 by Rep. Ray Garofalo would increase individual security in emergency situations; HB 749 by Rep. Beau Beaullieu would simplify and reduce costs of estate transfers; HB 850 by Rep. Barry Ivey creates better taxpayer protections in the creation of special taxing districts; HB 865 by Rep. Beryl Amedee would prevent government overreach restricting the right to bear arms in emergencies; HB 866 by Rep. Mack Cormier would tighten ethics laws for certain contractors; HB 868 by Ivey would clarify performance of emergency legislative activities; SB 445 by Sen. Barrow Peacock clarifies liability as it pertains to emergencies (similar bills: HB 826, SB 491); SB 461 by Sen. Mike Reese prohibits unduly penalizing employers because of the current state of emergency (similar bill: HB 833); SB 498 by Sen. Bret Allain provides for extending tax liability deadlines in emergencies.

THE BAD: HB 730 by Rep. Wilford Carter would increase the cost of vehicle insurance; HB 731 by Wilford Carter would reduce education standards; HB 755 by Rep. Edmond Jordan would increase the potential for conflicts in interest among policy-makers; HB 763 by Rep. Jack McFarland would disrupt adversely markets in times of certain emergencies and create bureaucratic and litigious messes; HB 797 by Rep. Royce Duplessis would allow local governments to undue interfere in business personnel policies; HB 801 by Rep. Rodney Lyons would authorize schools to deviate needlessly from their educational missions; HB 807 by Lyons increases the chances of abuse of medical marijuana (similar bill: SB 501); HB 814 by Rep. Sam Jenkins would allow another malady not proven to be affected by medical marijuana added to the list of its permitted uses (similar bill: HB 819); HB 824 by Rep. Barbara Carpenter would penalize unduly some students while unduly relaxing penalties on others; HB 832 by Rep. Matthew Willard would force businesses to grant forms of sick leave; SB 437 by Sen. Katrina Jackson would extend sick leave benefits to academic personnel with flexible schedules; SB 478 by Sen. Cleo Fields would subvert state annexation law with an unwarranted exception; SB 486 by Sen. Regina Barrow in regards to voting by mail is duplicative and allows nonresidents of a parish to vote there (similar bill: SB 501); SB 509 by Sen. Joseph Bouie would stifle educational delivery innovation; SB 510 by Bouie would restrict unwisely businesses’ ability to vet potential employees.

21 March 2020

Regular legislative session through Mar. 21, 2020

With the Legislature parking matters for a couple of weeks as a result of the Wuhan coronavirus after Monday, little activity occurred this week. But a bill of note did sneak in before things came to a halt.

THE GOOD: HB 713 by Rep. Kathy Edmonston would devolve textbook selection to districts.

SCORECARD:

14 March 2020

Regular legislative session through Mar. 14, 2020

Bill filing continues, with a few new additions:

THE GOOD: SB 418 by Sen. Kirk Talbot adds to other bills with sensible tort reform (similar bill: SB 419); SB 423 by Sen. Bodi White creates the overdue transition to formation of the new city of St. George.

Mostly very noncontroversial bills moved this week, but the more important ones tracked here did experience one change:

09 March 2020

The Good, Bad, and Ugly for the 2020 Regular Session

Back for a 16th edition, the Louisiana Legislature Log presents its annual review of good, bad, and ugly bills, for the 2020 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature.

THE GOOD: HB 9 by Rep. Ray Garofalo would reform tort laws to look more like those of other states with much lower vehicle insurance rates (similar bills: SB 45, HB 207, HB 258, HB 280, HB 573, SB 86, SB 242, SB 338); HB 20 by Rep. Rodney Schamerhorn would amend the Constitution to prohibit future elected officials from having taxpayer contributions to a retirement system; HB 28 by Rep. Barry Ivey would establish an optimal hybrid retirement plan for education employees not teachers (related bills: HB 30, HB 31, HB 32, HB 33, HB 34); HB 56 by Rep. Sherman Mack would expand eligibility for legal concealed carry of handguns (similar bill: HB 72); HB 79 by Rep. Mike Huval would make for more accurate court judgments concerning lost wages; HB 82 by Rep. Tony Bacala would improve fraud detection measures in benefits programs; HB 90 by Rep. Zee Zeringue would amend the Constitution to allow greater sunshine in Judiciary Commission actions (similar bill: HB 318); HB 112 by Rep. Lance Harris would amend the Constitution to allow for merit considerations in judicial selection; HB 118 by Rep. Rick Edmonds would create a two percent safety margin in budgeting; HB 128 by Rep. Mark Wright would direct more gas taxes to go to actual infrastructure (similar bills: HB 276, HB 487, HB 493); HB 140 by Rep. Blake Miguez would protect rights of businesses in affirming Second Amendment protections; HB 154 by Rep. Dodie Horton would establish intellectual diversity forums on college campuses; HB 186 by Zeringue would increase transparency in higher education budgeting (similar bill: HB 359); HB 193 by Mack would improve prevention of public benefits being used to support illegal drug use; HB 201 by Harris would increase openness of judicial elections; HB 222 by Mack would make application of capital punishment administratively easier; HB 230 by Huval would allow admissibility of seat belt wearing as evidence in tort judicial proceedings (similar bill: HB 256, SB 12); HB 237 by Wilford Carter would improve nursing training (related bill: HB 242); HB 252 by Rep. Valarie Hodges would improve civics instruction; HB 285 by Rep. Phillip DeVillier would promote wiser use of capital outlay dollars; HB 314 by Schamerhorn would abolish the need for obsolete printed government official printed journals; HB 334 by Rep. Bryan Fontenot would increase protection in houses of worship; HB 428 by Rep. Michael Echols would amend the Constitution to allow for centralized sales tax collection (similar bill: HB 581); HB 431 by Rep. Beryl Amedee brings some uniformity to deputy constable regulation; HB 439 by Zeringue brings uniformity to coastal zone regulations; HB 440 by Rep. John Stefanski would amend the Constitution to direct more money to transportation infrastructure (related bill: HB 446); HB 445 by Speaker Clay Schexnayder would create a lockbox for unclaimed property funds (similar bill: HB 536); HB 497 by Ivey would increase efficiency of the Legislative Auditor; HB 528 by Miguez would amend the Constitution to create a realistic expenditure limit (similar bill: HB 571); HB 620 by Rep. Beau Beaullieu would shore up unemployment insurance and provide greater incentive to work; HB 686 by Rep. Danny McCormick would create concealed handgun carry without permitting; HB 689 by Zeringue would enable colleges to manage their resources better; HB 700 by Rep. Jonathan Goudeau would enable better verification of unemployment compensations payouts.

SB 18 by Sen. Barrow Peacock would award to new state employees retirement benefits more congruent with people’s lifespans and working lifetimes (similar bill: SB 20); SB 75 by Sen. Beth Mizell would increase ballot security; SB 82 by Mizell would reduce public corruption; SB 157 by Sen. Glen Womack would increase confidence in use of state emergency funds by local governments; SB 166 by Sen. Sharon Hewitt would provide for better use of Medicaid dollars; SB 172 by Mizell would ensure fairness in state-sanctioned athletic contests (similar bill: HB 466); SB 176 by Sen. Bret Allain would clarify ownership of land adjacent to waterlines (similar bill: SB 177); SB 187 by Sen. Bodi White would amend the Constitution to being predictability to the Industrial Tax Exemption Program (similar bills: HB 347, HB 527, HB 531, SB 192, SB 236, SB 350); SB 194 by Hewitt would project needed sunshine onto judges’ financial disclosures; SB 211 by Allain would bring fairness to interest earned on tax overpayments; SB 231 by Sen. Kirk Talbot clarifies the state’s potential delivery of health care; SB 275 by Hewitt prevents contracting legal services to outside parties for coastal management; SB 286 by Sen. Rogers Pope would make illegal misrepresentation of entitlement to assistance animals; SB 304 by Peacock would remove limits on committee campaign contributions; SB 335 by Allain brings the state into constitutionality regarding political party governance (similar bills: HB 690, SB 351); SB 356 by White explicates legislative intent regarding the Revenue Estimating Conference; SB 361 by Mizell would prevent unnecessary prison inmate surgeries paid by taxpayers; SB 375 by Sen. Heather Cloud protects the rights of owners of long-term rental properties; SB 380 by Mizell increases accountability of abortion providers.

THE BAD: HB 22 by Rep. Larry Bagley would amend the Constitution to eliminate the mandatory retirement age for judges (related bills: HB 27, HB 144, SB 276); HB 23 by Bagley would eliminate the mandatory retirement age for justices of the peace; HB 38 by Rep. Kyle Green would end the death penalty; HB 41 by Green would create chaos in gubernatorial succession; HB 42 by Green would tie the useless lieutenant governorship to the governor in elections (similar bill: HB 50); HB 60 by Green would increase the elected term of district attorneys to ten years; HB 94 by Green would impose an arbitrary, job-killing minimum wage (similar bills: SB 136, SB 279, SB 317, SB 401); HB 97 by Rep. Jeremy Lacombe would discourage consolidation of small water systems and their efficient management; HB 96 by Harris inadequately provides for merit selection of judges; HB 104 by Wilford Carter would encourage failure to maintain adequate vehicle insurance; HB 106 by Green would create needless government regulation of wages; HB 107 by Rep. Jason Hughes would discourage individual family responsibility for and transfer to taxpayers meal provision to students; HB 108 by Rep. Ted James would interfere with schooling on weekdays with elections; HB 135 by Rep. Joe Marino would make it easier for accused drug kingpins to skip town; HB 147 by Hughes could limit in Orleans Parish Second Amendment rights for no compelling reason; HB 158 by Marino would make it easier to hoot up legally (similar bill: HB 330, HB 346, HB 385, HB 386, HB 546, HB 626, HB 646); HB 188 by Rep. Jonathan Goudeau would weaken civil service independence; HB 198 by Horton would amend the Constitution loosens too much public safety employees to engage in certain political activities; HB 200 by Green would increase the chances of election fraud (similar bill: SB 259); HB 206 by Rep. Stephanie Hilferty would amend the Constitution to allow increasing to make more dysfunctional the homestead exemption (similar bill: HB 545); HB 221 by Rep. Edmond Jordan would reduce freedom of choice for borrowers; HB 241 by James would expunge criminal records prematurely; HB 273 by Jordan would expand taxpayer subsidies to unions; HB 302 by Rep. Joe Stagni would commit needlessly more state dollars to a local government expense; HB 324 by Echols would increase taxpayer-paid health care costs; HB 325 by Echols would reduce the ability of local and state employees to access insurance they paid for; HB 328 by Aimee Freeman would create an unneeded tax exception; HB 339 by James reduces potential time served for many criminals; HB 344 by Rep. Mandie Landry grants too many exceptions for use of solitary confinement; HB 364 by Rep. Randal Gaines would weaken habitual offender penalties; HB 366 by Landry would legalize prostitution; HB 369 by Stagni would expand the reach of gambling; HB 397 by Landry creates penalties too draconian for misclassification of employees for workers’ compensation purposes (similar bill SB 201); HB 403 by Rep. Kathy Edmonston would allow pardoned individuals not to complete fulfillment of sentence; HB 447 by Rep. Barbara Carpenter would needlessly restrict business wage practices; HB 448 by Rep. Kenny Cox would weaken education accountability standards (similar bills: SB 293, SB 298); HB 454 by Rep. Sam Jenkins would reduce disincentives to commit crime by restoring the right to vote too cavalierly; HB 464 by Beaullieu would amend the Constitution to let the expenditure limit grow too quickly (similar bills: HB 469, HB 524, HB 578); HB 475 by Rep. Stephanie Hilferty would require too generous paid family leave; HB 576 by Rep. Matthew Willard would degrade the integrity of voter registration lists; HB 657 by Rep. Tammy Phelps would cause micromanagement and introduce politics into school administration; HB 658 by Phelps would waste school time on an activity that eligible students should pursue on their own time; HB 676 by Rep. Julie Emerson would impair debt collection tools for colleges.

SB 13 by Sen. Jay Luneau would remove a salient fact from use in determination of vehicle insurance rates (similar bills: HB 85, HB 86, HB 87, HB 153, HB 224, HB 225, SB 14, SB 15, SB 16, SB 101, SB 219, SB 299); SB 44 by Sen. Cleo Fields would amend the Constitution to allow a minor to serve and vote on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (related bill: SB 56); SB 49 by Sen. Troy Carter would unnecessarily regulate business personnel practices related to employee behavior (similar bill: HB 238); SB 76 by Fields would allow for weaker state college admission standards (similar bills: SB 83; SB 196); SB 77 by Sen. Joseph Bouie would needlessly regulate state contractors over a nonexistent problem; SB 107 by Bouie would create unnecessary confusion in the reapportionment process (similar bill: HB 625); SB 207 by Sen. Gary Smith would amend the Constitution to allow property taxes to rise too quickly (similar bill: SB 245); SB 220 by Sen. Regina Barrow would treat expungement criteria too cavalierly; SB 256 by Carter tells restaurants what they can offer; SB 261 by Carter violates the First Amendment; SB 295 by Barrow would create a disincentive for healthy living by state employees (related bill: SB 314); SB 309 by Barrow would serve to increase vehicle insurance rates; SB 328 by Barrow too broadly insinuates discrimination against blacks; SB 367 by Fields would impose unnecessary environmental costs on some businesses; SB 412 by Barrow uselessly adds another licensing impediment.

THE UGLY: SB 146 by Sen. Ronnie Johns would create a “funeral director assistant;” why add yet another job occupation license in a state overburdened with these? HB 430 by Willard would impose a lower ceiling on rapid property tax increases in Orleans Parish; why just an exception there? HB 505 by Rep. Stuart Bishop would license yet another occupation; art therapy?