THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 173 was involuntarily deferred; HB 242 passed committee 10-0 but with amendments that diluted it somewhat; HB 273 passed the House 103-0; HB 311 had the House concur with Senate amendments 102-0; HB 415 passed the House 87-8; HB 613 passed committee 13-1 with minor amendments and passed the House 63-36; HB 654 passed Senate committee; SB 44 passed House committee 13-0; SB 53 passed House committee 8-1 with major amendments but which did not alter the overall philosophy of the bill; SB 82 was involuntarily deferred in the House; SB 146 passed the Senate 34-3 with major amendments and then passed House committee 12-0 with more minor amendments; SB 323 passed House committee 13-0 with minor amendments.
THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 21 passed the Senate 35-0; HB 80 failed 69-20 then was reconsidered and passed 73-28; HB 317 was passed 7-1 with minor amendments; HB 553 was withdrawn; HB 631 was passed 13-0 with minor amendments; HB 799 passed the House 56-43; HB 887 passed the House 72-29; SB 114 passed committee with minor amendments and passed the Senate 36-0; SB 246 passed committee with minor amendments and the Senate 35-0.
MONDAY: SB 341, HB 583, HB 712, and HB 849 are scheduled to be heard by the House Ways and Means Committee
TUESDAY: HB 799 is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Judiciary B Committee.
Total House introductions: 877; Total Senate introductions: 352
Total House good bills: 41; Total Senate good bills: 22
Total House bad bills: 48; Total Senate bad bills: 19
Total House good bills heard in committee: 27; Total Senate good bills heard in committee: 19
Total House bad bills heard in committee: 32; Total Senate bad bills heard in committee: 12
Total House good bills passing committee: 8; Total Senate good bills passing committee: 7
Total House bad bills passing committee: 13; Total Senate bad bills passing committee: 8
Total House good bills passing House: 6; Total Senate good bills passing Senate: 5
Total House bad bills passing House: 8; Total Senate bad bills passing Senate: 6
Total House good bills heard in Senate committee: 2; Total Senate good bills heard in House committee: 5
Total House bad bills heard in Senate committee: 4; Total Senate bad bills heard in House committee: 2
Total House good bills passing Senate committee: 2; Total Senate good bills passing House committee: 4
Total House bad bills passing Senate committee: 3; Total Senate bad bills passing House committee: 1
Total House good bills passing Senate: 1
Total House bad bills passing Senate: 1
Total House good bills sent to governor: 1
Total House bad bills sent to governor: 1
10 June 2005
07 June 2005
Floor action, Jun. 7: SB 146, HB 123, HB 799
DID YOU KNOW?
Naturally, SB 146 would arouse passions. With Louisianans ranked as one of the most obese people in the nation, the bill that would force schools to sell through vending healthy foods (they don’t want to forgo the potential revenue of more sugary fare), that’s a given. Debate went for over an hour and over a dozen amendments were offered, most withdrawn. The most controversial was one requiring that in the last 10 minutes of a lunch period a 50/50 ratio of “healthy” drinks and water only could be served. The amendment by Sen. Joel Chiasson was passed 26-10.
Author Sen. Diana Bajoie argued it wasn’t perfect, said it should go further, that Sen. Tom Schedler was on to something with his amendments to require a physical education component to high school but that the way education was structure in the state, that wasn’t possible to mandate. The bill passed 34-3.
DID YOU KNOW?
When I heard the vote on HB 123 to set up a study to build (yet another) lake, this one in Lincoln Parish, was 34-1 I guessed the nay was Sen. Max Malone, who according to the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry has been the taxpayers’ best friend. And I was right; thanks once again, Max, for looking after us to prevent the setting up of a study to tell us you can get drinking water elsewhere and any other use of a man-made lake would be superfluous.
DID YOU KNOW?
HB 799 has been seen as an expansion of gambling by opponents of it, to allow slot machines to operate past security checkpoints at Louis B. Armstrong Airport in New Orleans (although part of Jefferson Parish). Better, its author Rep. Cedric Richmond admitted that some of the revenues should be siphoned off to help the state support the New Orleans Saints (under the bill then, it got divided among local governing authorities).
Thus Rep. Danny Martiny argued, that New Orleans was still an “NFL town” yet would have to “subsidize” the Saints through a “New Orleans-based revenue stream.” However, Martiny admitted to “Speaker” Charlie DeWitt that federal law might negate the amendment’s affect. Nonetheless, the amendment was adopted.
To make matters even more interesting, Rep. John LaBruzzo tried to attach an amendment that would make it contingent on the New Orleans Police Department having a residency requirement. That amendment failed, to great noise, 3-95.
The bill as a whole passed 56-43. And gambling has a chance to expand in the name of the Saints.
QUOTES OF THE DAY:
“It’s a joke … including my amendments … you take out vending machines and have classes to instruct them on healthy eating … expecting schools to raise our children … I don’t really know what to tell you what to do with this bill … this bill does nothing, it’s feel-good legislation. Just vote your conscience … this is a joke.”
Schedler, on SB 146.
“Gym was my favorite subject, I made straight As in it.”
Sen. Nick Gautreaux, on his contention that an amendment requiring teaching more physical education should be required as part of the bill.
“Sen. Heitmeier, do you wish to confess your eating and drinking habits …”
Sen. Pres. Don Hines, asking whether Sen. Francis Heitmeier wanted to debate the bill.
“Speaker DeWitt, Speaker DeWitt …”
House Speaker Joe Salter soliciting former Speaker DeWitt’s vote on HB 273, showing us who really continues to hold a lot of power in the Louisiana House.
“Mr. LaBruzzo, you have earned a dubious distinction … you are now the record holder.”
Rep. Peppi Bruneau, on the crushing defeat of LaBruzzo’s amendment to HB 799 – Rep. Mike Walsworth argues he knew of an instance where an amendment on the floor got just one vote, but Bruneau recalled that vote was not a floor vote, but from the Committee of the Whole.
“The singing has not improved ….”
Salter, after the singing of “Happy Birthday” for Rep. Jean Doerge was completed.
WEDNESDAY: HB 631 and HB 828 are scheduled to be heard by the House Ways and Means Committee; HB 560 and HB 654 are scheduled to be heard by the Senate Finance Committee.
Naturally, SB 146 would arouse passions. With Louisianans ranked as one of the most obese people in the nation, the bill that would force schools to sell through vending healthy foods (they don’t want to forgo the potential revenue of more sugary fare), that’s a given. Debate went for over an hour and over a dozen amendments were offered, most withdrawn. The most controversial was one requiring that in the last 10 minutes of a lunch period a 50/50 ratio of “healthy” drinks and water only could be served. The amendment by Sen. Joel Chiasson was passed 26-10.
Author Sen. Diana Bajoie argued it wasn’t perfect, said it should go further, that Sen. Tom Schedler was on to something with his amendments to require a physical education component to high school but that the way education was structure in the state, that wasn’t possible to mandate. The bill passed 34-3.
DID YOU KNOW?
When I heard the vote on HB 123 to set up a study to build (yet another) lake, this one in Lincoln Parish, was 34-1 I guessed the nay was Sen. Max Malone, who according to the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry has been the taxpayers’ best friend. And I was right; thanks once again, Max, for looking after us to prevent the setting up of a study to tell us you can get drinking water elsewhere and any other use of a man-made lake would be superfluous.
DID YOU KNOW?
HB 799 has been seen as an expansion of gambling by opponents of it, to allow slot machines to operate past security checkpoints at Louis B. Armstrong Airport in New Orleans (although part of Jefferson Parish). Better, its author Rep. Cedric Richmond admitted that some of the revenues should be siphoned off to help the state support the New Orleans Saints (under the bill then, it got divided among local governing authorities).
Thus Rep. Danny Martiny argued, that New Orleans was still an “NFL town” yet would have to “subsidize” the Saints through a “New Orleans-based revenue stream.” However, Martiny admitted to “Speaker” Charlie DeWitt that federal law might negate the amendment’s affect. Nonetheless, the amendment was adopted.
To make matters even more interesting, Rep. John LaBruzzo tried to attach an amendment that would make it contingent on the New Orleans Police Department having a residency requirement. That amendment failed, to great noise, 3-95.
The bill as a whole passed 56-43. And gambling has a chance to expand in the name of the Saints.
QUOTES OF THE DAY:
“It’s a joke … including my amendments … you take out vending machines and have classes to instruct them on healthy eating … expecting schools to raise our children … I don’t really know what to tell you what to do with this bill … this bill does nothing, it’s feel-good legislation. Just vote your conscience … this is a joke.”
Schedler, on SB 146.
“Gym was my favorite subject, I made straight As in it.”
Sen. Nick Gautreaux, on his contention that an amendment requiring teaching more physical education should be required as part of the bill.
“Sen. Heitmeier, do you wish to confess your eating and drinking habits …”
Sen. Pres. Don Hines, asking whether Sen. Francis Heitmeier wanted to debate the bill.
“Speaker DeWitt, Speaker DeWitt …”
House Speaker Joe Salter soliciting former Speaker DeWitt’s vote on HB 273, showing us who really continues to hold a lot of power in the Louisiana House.
“Mr. LaBruzzo, you have earned a dubious distinction … you are now the record holder.”
Rep. Peppi Bruneau, on the crushing defeat of LaBruzzo’s amendment to HB 799 – Rep. Mike Walsworth argues he knew of an instance where an amendment on the floor got just one vote, but Bruneau recalled that vote was not a floor vote, but from the Committee of the Whole.
“The singing has not improved ….”
Salter, after the singing of “Happy Birthday” for Rep. Jean Doerge was completed.
WEDNESDAY: HB 631 and HB 828 are scheduled to be heard by the House Ways and Means Committee; HB 560 and HB 654 are scheduled to be heard by the Senate Finance Committee.
06 June 2005
Committee and floor action, Jun. 6: HB 728, SB 354
DID YOU KNOW?
Trying to achieve the difficult, author of SB 354 Sen. Rob Marionneaux told the chamber that already 11 states had similar smoking bans, how imposition of such a ban didn’t have an adverse impact on business, and that health cost savings could be achieved with the bill’s passage. However, he argued for an incremental approach and felt that his amendment to it to exempt casinos should be passed.
Trying to achieve the impossible, Sen. Jay Dardenne, however, said at a philosophical level, a ban on smoking in public places should make no difference depending upon where a person was or who owned what. In fact, Dardenne said it would drive people to casino restaurants to give them an unfair advantage. Sen. Jody Amedee called it amended “a bill to help the gambling industry.”
Dardenne, however, said he’d be likely to vote against the bill with the amendment. Sen. Charles Jones said he would vote for the bill regardless. The amendment failed 3-29.
Trying to achieve the difficult, author of SB 354 Sen. Rob Marionneaux told the chamber that already 11 states had similar smoking bans, how imposition of such a ban didn’t have an adverse impact on business, and that health cost savings could be achieved with the bill’s passage. However, he argued for an incremental approach and felt that his amendment to it to exempt casinos should be passed.
Trying to achieve the impossible, Sen. Jay Dardenne, however, said at a philosophical level, a ban on smoking in public places should make no difference depending upon where a person was or who owned what. In fact, Dardenne said it would drive people to casino restaurants to give them an unfair advantage. Sen. Jody Amedee called it amended “a bill to help the gambling industry.”
Dardenne, however, said he’d be likely to vote against the bill with the amendment. Sen. Charles Jones said he would vote for the bill regardless. The amendment failed 3-29.
04 June 2005
Legislative regular session through 6/3/05
THIS WEEK FOR THE GOOD: HB 273 passed committee 8-0 without amendments.
THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 731 passed the House 76-20; HB 802 got substituted as HB 887 and passed committee 14-0; SB 190 passed House committee 11-0.
MONDAY: SB 44 is scheduled to be heard in the House Appropriations Committee; HB 173, HB 237, HB 603, HB 604, HB 631, HB 656 and HB 828 are scheduled to be heard in the House Ways and Means Committee; SB 114 and SB 246 are scheduled to be heard in the Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee.
Total House introductions: 877; Total Senate introductions: 352
Total House good bills: 41; Total Senate good bills: 22
Total House bad bills: 48; Total Senate bad bills: 19
Total House good bills heard in committee: 22; Total Senate good bills heard in committee: 19
Total House bad bills heard in committee: 30; Total Senate bad bills heard in committee: 11
Total House good bills passing committee: 6; Total Senate good bills passing committee: 7
Total House bad bills passing committee: 11; Total Senate bad bills passing committee: 6
Total House good bills passing House: 3; Total Senate good bills passing Senate: 4
Total House bad bills passing House: 5; Total Senate bad bills passing Senate: 4
Total House good bills being heard in Senate committee: 1
Total House bad bills being heard in Senate committee: 4; Total Senate bad bills being heard in House committee: 1
Total House good bills passing Senate committee: 1
Total House bad bills passing Senate committee: 3; Total Senate bad bills passing House committee: 1
Total House good bills passing Senate: 1
THIS WEEK FOR THE BAD: HB 731 passed the House 76-20; HB 802 got substituted as HB 887 and passed committee 14-0; SB 190 passed House committee 11-0.
MONDAY: SB 44 is scheduled to be heard in the House Appropriations Committee; HB 173, HB 237, HB 603, HB 604, HB 631, HB 656 and HB 828 are scheduled to be heard in the House Ways and Means Committee; SB 114 and SB 246 are scheduled to be heard in the Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee.
Total House introductions: 877; Total Senate introductions: 352
Total House good bills: 41; Total Senate good bills: 22
Total House bad bills: 48; Total Senate bad bills: 19
Total House good bills heard in committee: 22; Total Senate good bills heard in committee: 19
Total House bad bills heard in committee: 30; Total Senate bad bills heard in committee: 11
Total House good bills passing committee: 6; Total Senate good bills passing committee: 7
Total House bad bills passing committee: 11; Total Senate bad bills passing committee: 6
Total House good bills passing House: 3; Total Senate good bills passing Senate: 4
Total House bad bills passing House: 5; Total Senate bad bills passing Senate: 4
Total House good bills being heard in Senate committee: 1
Total House bad bills being heard in Senate committee: 4; Total Senate bad bills being heard in House committee: 1
Total House good bills passing Senate committee: 1
Total House bad bills passing Senate committee: 3; Total Senate bad bills passing House committee: 1
Total House good bills passing Senate: 1
01 June 2005
Floor action, Jun. 1: SB 731
HB 731 hit the floor. Rep. Bryant Hammett argued for its passage, thus renewal of the film tax credit if however in a reduced form in scope (Louisiana jobs/cost only) but higher in return to the maker if they qualify (from 15 to 25 percent). He said it was something he, the governor, and film industry had negotiated.
Rep. Mike Walsworth brought up the point that the film industry was given a special place in this bill, while many other industries could be assisted. Hammett argued that other legislation and Department of Economic Development money could help others.
Rep. Steve Scalise offered amendments to limit the reductions in reimbursements for big-budget films. Hammett opposed, saying the higher limit was too high, that more attention needed to be given to the smaller concerns anyway as they keep the industry going year-round. Scalise insisted that bigger companies more easily could “bring back” those leaving the state. His amendment was defeated 42-61.
The problem is that even making the program less generous still may have the state paying out more money than it would take in, especially after removing caps on salaries that could be reimbursed. Further, a sunset provision was removed. The bill passed 76-20.
QUOTES OF THE DAY:
“Since we’re introducing everybody today, I’d like to introduce two window washers and a couple of lizards from outside. Let’s give them a warm welcome.”
Rep. Warren Triche, after a slew of introductions of individuals, including what some would charitably refer to as “singing” of “Happy Birthday” for Rep. Jim Fannin’s “39th” birthday.
“Speak for yourself.”
Hammett, who is term-limited at the end of this term, after Rep. Glenn Ansardi suggested during the HB 731 debate that they and others would not be “around” in the Legislature after 2007.
“Can you hear me now … can you hear me now…”
Rep. Tim Burns explaining HB 759 which updates statutes dealing with hearing aid dealers. Yes, he actually got a few laughs.
Rep. Mike Walsworth brought up the point that the film industry was given a special place in this bill, while many other industries could be assisted. Hammett argued that other legislation and Department of Economic Development money could help others.
Rep. Steve Scalise offered amendments to limit the reductions in reimbursements for big-budget films. Hammett opposed, saying the higher limit was too high, that more attention needed to be given to the smaller concerns anyway as they keep the industry going year-round. Scalise insisted that bigger companies more easily could “bring back” those leaving the state. His amendment was defeated 42-61.
The problem is that even making the program less generous still may have the state paying out more money than it would take in, especially after removing caps on salaries that could be reimbursed. Further, a sunset provision was removed. The bill passed 76-20.
QUOTES OF THE DAY:
“Since we’re introducing everybody today, I’d like to introduce two window washers and a couple of lizards from outside. Let’s give them a warm welcome.”
Rep. Warren Triche, after a slew of introductions of individuals, including what some would charitably refer to as “singing” of “Happy Birthday” for Rep. Jim Fannin’s “39th” birthday.
“Speak for yourself.”
Hammett, who is term-limited at the end of this term, after Rep. Glenn Ansardi suggested during the HB 731 debate that they and others would not be “around” in the Legislature after 2007.
“Can you hear me now … can you hear me now…”
Rep. Tim Burns explaining HB 759 which updates statutes dealing with hearing aid dealers. Yes, he actually got a few laughs.
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