It has been about three months since Gov. John Bel Edwards called his first special session and two months have passed since the ongoing regular session convened, notes Jeremy Alford in his latest column.
“A Democrat trying to navigate a Republican legislature, Edwards has been dealt a series of policy setbacks during this timeframe as lawmakers have resisted many of his key agenda items,” he writes.
Edwards has also been setting the stage for—and becoming a major player in—high-level negotiations that are just as important as any bill he has proposed, Alford says.
The governor has started discussions with the operators of Louisiana’s safety-net hospitals; with oil and gas companies that are fighting historic litigation; and with lawmakers and special interests over how to approach a second special session.
“These negotiations are connected to some of the biggest challenges the state faces today, which also gives added weight to their outcomes for the governor,” Alford writes. “If they bear any real political fruit, Edwards could earn a reputation as a tough negotiator and turn around what is starting to look like a dry spell in terms of legislative victories.”
Alford says that’s why, on April 19, it felt slightly premature to dive too deep into Edwards’ first 100 days in office—a milestone that normally offers reporters, pundits and voters a convenient timestamp for an appraisal.
“Expanding Medicaid was something the governor could point to at that time and it remains an accomplishment,” Alford writes. “But his true test, his first real performance review, will come during and following the second special session he wants to call soon after the regular session ends on June 6.”
Alford notes that conservatives don’t want a second special session at all, so the governor will have to find a way to not only get them into the same building but also convince them to vote for what has been described as $600 million in revenue-raising measures.
“How Edwards crafts his agenda, the dates he chooses for the second special session and the methods he employs for whipping votes will all be telling,” Alford says.
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.
