Lawmakers mounting pay raise defense
After a House committee advanced legislation that would triple lawmakers’ salaries Wednesday, Gov. Bobby Jindal announced during a news conference he would not veto the proposed boost should it gain legislative approval in what promises to be a vote heard around the lower chamber Friday morning. Jindal, a Republican, called the increase “over the top,” but he deferred to the Legislature as an independent body that should be free of administrative fiddling.
Yet as governor and, due solely to his constitutional obligations, Jindal is charged with the power of veto, one of the many checks and balances that exist among state government’s branches. The political reality might be that Jindal is looking to avoid a fight, especially as many of his key bills remain on the legislative calendar as the session approaches its June 23 climax. "I don't want to give anybody any excuse to slow down any of the important reforms going through the Legislature," Jindal said in an Associated Press report.
Senate Bill 672 by Sen. Ann Duplessis, D-New Orleans, functions as a link between what full-time members of Congress make and what part-time Louisiana legislators pull down. More specifically, the bill stipulates that lawmaker’s salaries should equal at least 30% of what congressional members are taking home, which comes to roughly $70,000 when a $6,000 reimbursement account and per diem payments of $143 are added to the equation.
Lawmakers are mounting detailed defenses to push the salary increase through the process. In particular, Sen. Butch Gautreaux, a Morgan City Democrat, has been central to the cause of lawmakers. During Tuesday’s Senate debate, Gautreaux handed out a list of anonymous “testimonials” to senators penned by their colleagues. Gautreaux provided the list to Daily Report. The bill raising lawmaker’s pay will next be heard on the House floor Friday morning in what could be its final debate. For a longer version of this story, click here.—Jeremy Alford
LABI, NRA on opposite sides of gun bill
Two powerful conservative lobbies are on opposites sides of a bill that would allow Louisiana residents to keep guns locked in their cars in almost any parking lot, even at work. Senate Bill 51, scheduled for debate by the House of Representatives today, is being pushed by the National Rifle Association and opposed by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. LABI says the bill would compromise employers’ ability to provide a safe workplace and leave them open to liability claims in the event of an incident. They say the bill’s application appears quite broad, and would even prohibit homeowners and tenants from disallowing guns in locked vehicles on their own property.
“We believe that the second amendment is an inherent civil right, it is constitutionally protected, and a person’s ability to defend their life if necessary does supersede corporate concerns of liability,” says Ashley Varner, an NRA spokeswoman. The NRA has pushed similar legislation in other states since a dozen paper mill workers in rural Oklahoma were fired for having rifles or shotguns in their vehicles on the first day of hunting season in 2002. There are exceptions written into the bill, including parking areas where access is restricted by a gate or security station and places where firearms possession is prohibited by federal law.—David Jacobs
225's Art Melt story draws controversy, buzz
The Art Melt story in this month's 225 seems to be the hot issue within the local arts community, inspiring many to trade insults and gossip about whose opinions are irrelevant. In her blog this week, Culture Candy Executive Director Erin Rolfs says the argument is not about overcrowding or whether the art is any good. "The issue is this: The people of Baton Rouge must question the authenticity of their art experiences in order to progress, but how can we move forward without the supplementary education needed for both the artist and the viewer to fully understand what it is they are involved in?" Read the entire Off the Wall blog here.
The doctor is (almost) in
North Oaks Health System will break ground on its two-story, 47,000-square-foot medical complex in Satsuma this fall. The company unveiled the first architectural rendering of the facility, which was designed by Gasaway-Gasaway-Bankston Architects. Click here for a look. The $32 million complex will be built on 30 acres of land North Oaks bought for $5 million in spring 2007. Scheduled for opening in the second quarter of 2010, the complex will include a 24-hour urgent-care center, family medicine and specialty clinics and an outpatient diagnostic and treatment center. North Oaks has been in Livingston Parish since 2004, when it opened specialty and walk-in clinics in Walker. Last year, it expanded with North Oaks Family Medicine Clinic.
Louisiana ranks 49th for child well-being
A new report gives Louisiana low marks for taking care of children, noting that the state's performance in several categories, including the child death rate, has gotten worse. Louisiana was once again ranked 49th in the Kids Count report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which looks at factors such as the infant mortality rate, the high school dropout rate and children living in poverty. One good sign for Louisiana—other than not finishing last—the teen birth rate has improved by 21% since 2000. New Hampshire was rated as the best state for children, while Mississippi finished last. Click here for the full report.
Poll: Readers overwhelmingly against legislative pay raises
Daily Report readers came out strongly against a move to raise legislative pay. Eighty-five percent of the people who responded to an online survey say the move to raise salaries from $16,800 a year to about $50,800 was a "horrible idea". Just 11% supported the raises. Nearly 1,400 people participated in the survey.
Today's question: Gov. Bobby Jindal says he won't veto a bill giving legislators a huge pay raise because his legislative agenda is too important to risk. Do you agree?
News roundup: One in six motorists would flunk driving test, report says; mega-mansions still going up in L.A.; Council on Aging opens Cortana location
Best not to think about this during your commute home: A report shows that 16.4% of all drivers wouldn't pass the written driving test if they took it today because they don’t know the rules of the road. The 2008 GMAC Insurance National Driver's test was given to more than 5,500 adults across the U.S., CNNMoney.com reports. Most likely to pass the test: men, drivers over age 35 and Kansas residents. Most likely to fail: women and people from New Jersey. Louisiana residents ranked 44th on the test. Take the test here. What housing bust? The California housing market might be going down the drain, but The Los Angeles Times reports that there are 20 houses under construction in Beverly Hills and Bel-Air that are at least 20,000 square feet. "Does anybody need 40,000 square feet?" said real estate agent Stephen Shapiro of the Westside Estate Agency. "No, [but] these are our current-day aristocrats and feudal leaders … and this is what they want." Read the story here. Senior activities: The East Baton Rouge Council on Aging has opened an activity center in the Mall at Cortana, just outside Sears. The center features Wii interactive fitness games and will provide information about EBRCOA programs.
