When the regular session of the Louisiana Legislature convenes on April 10, it will all come down to clock management for lawmakers and Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration, says Jeremy Alford in his latest column.
“So forget all of the marathon metaphors that you know, because this coming session, which concludes on June 8, is definitely going to be a sprint,” Alford writes.
How much can the governor, House and Senate realistically accomplish in 60 days?
“If all involved manage to stay focused, the end results could be bountiful and meaningful,” he writes. “But policymaking is always easier said than done.”
Alford says special interest groups and legislators will “be pushing their own issues that have nothing to do with the budget or tax revenue, which are nonetheless destined to be the session’s featured players.” And political action committees will be watching all of the debates closely, he adds, attacking those who can vote or veto and building narratives for elections that are more than two years away.
“Strip all of that noise away, though, and you’ll see that the primary goal of lawmakers and the Edwards administration during the regular session will be to dig Louisiana out of its fiscal funk. It’s a broadly-drawn goal, to be certain, but it is without a doubt the focus of most folks who work in the Capitol these days,” Alford writes.
A $400 million budget shortfall is forecast for the fiscal year that begins on July 1, and a $1.2 billion in temporary tax money is set to disappear in 2018. With the stakes being so high, Alford says the pressure on lawmakers during the session will be like nothing we’ve seen before.
“Eight and a half weeks can seem like an eternity when you’re dealing with that kind of political drama. A reluctance by Republicans to increase taxes, as Democrats dig in for proposed hikes, will only make it seem longer,” he writes. “Still, the primary goal is well known and the timeline to address the related challenges is well defined. The 60-day challenge is almost here, whether lawmakers and the administration are ready for it or not.”
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter, or on Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
