Legislative Update

April 16, 2010

For additional information, contact:  Samantha Goodwin

Revenue Rages and Budget Bickering in Baton Rouge as the 2010 Louisiana Legislative Session Rolls on
 
The Revenue Estimating Conference determined that the current year revenues dropped by $319M and another $245M for 2010/1, pushing next year's shortfall over the $1B mark.  Because of this, Governor Jindal and the Senate leadership have stated that now is the time to deal with the budget shortfalls.  A legislation package full of budget flexibility on the cost cutting side, as well as tapping new revenues from the Rainy Day Fund and various trust funds as necessary are being considered as a viable answer to the seemingly hopeless situation. 

The budget discussions are going to get heated  in the coming weeks as the House Appropriations Committee must put the budget bill in balance (HB1) and move it to the House Floor, while budget flexibility bills move to the Senate.
Another  major priority for the business community and the Governor's Office is Higher Education reform, with the lead bill being HB 1171 Tucker on the House side and SB 570 Chaisson on the Senate side. A coalition of supporters called BILD are advocating for the measures, expected to be heard in the coming two weeks.

Below is a recap of this week's legislative actions and a preview of next week's line up.

THE WEEK IN REVIEW

Highlights of Bills passed in Committee:

HB 380 Hutter - Extends Rural Hospital status for the prospective hospital in St. Bernard (Healthcare)

HB 771 Burns - Provides for additional public notice requirements related to proposed increases in millage rates without voter approval (Tax Policy)

HB 1052 G. Jackson - Creates uniform definition of Disadvantaged Business Entity (Economic Development)

SB 412 Donahue - Creates State Buildings and Lands Use Group (Streamlining)

Highlights of Bills passed on the Floor:

HB 410 Carter - Requires local option elections in every school district on term limits for school board members (K12 Reforms)

SB 21 Murray - Extends the time in which the owner of a homestead must reoccupy the homestead in order to retain the homestead's homestead exemption or its special assessment level from five years from December 31st of the year of disaster (Tax Policy)

SB 297 Donahue - Adult Education Program Transfer from BESE to LCTCS (Workforce)

SB 486 Nevers - TOPS Tech Award Eligibility (Higher Ed)

SB 490 Nevers - Career Diploma End of Course Exam (Workforce)

THE WEEK AHEAD

Monday Committee Action Scheduled:

HB 406 Waddell - Requires economic impact and performance information in reports to the legislature regarding Mega-Project Development Fund and Rapid Response Fund projects.

HB 553 Waddell - Requires the Dept. of Economic Development to publish legal agreements, reports, and economic analyses, including project expenditures, regarding each Mega-Project Development Fund and Rapid Response Fund project.

HB 559 Waddell - Establishes statutory requirements to guide future Rapid Response Fund project agreements.

HB 965 Waddell - Requires the Department of Economic Development to include certain details about pending mega-project deals on its website.

HB 1078 Foil - Provides for changes to reporting requirements of the Department of Economic Development and the Economic Development Corporation

Wednesday Committee Action Scheduled:

HB 1055 Richmond - Eliminates the division of adult and community education within the Dept. of Education and transfers the responsibility for adult education programs from BESE to LCTCS (Workforce)

HB 688 Foil - Authorizes the CPRA to assist in the formation of a coastal science consortium (Infrastructure)

HB 814 Gisclair - Requires restoration of canals by coastal permit (Infrastructure)

HB 328 White - Prohibits expropriation of private property for certain compensatory mitigation purposes (Infrastructure)

Note: Some committee hearings are not posted until the day before. Likewise, committee schedules and bills to be heard are subject to last minute changes.

To date, only 15% of bills tracked have passed out of committee. As the Session continues, we will actively monitor bills of high interest and will mobilize as needed on priority issues. Look for more Legislative Updates and Action Alerts throughout the Session. Those interested can also research legislation and Capitol activities on the state website at www.legis.state.la.us.