Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify BRAC’s position on the renewal of the fifth sales tax penny.
The Baton Rouge Area Chamber is supporting a limited constitutional convention focused on long-term and comprehensive fiscal reforms at both the state and local level to resolve Louisiana’s recurring budget issues.
The announcement came this morning as BRAC released its five priority areas for a 2018 legislative session that begins Monday and runs through June. 4.
“BRAC’s leadership sees the state legislative process as very important to advancing our region’s economic development priorities,” Ric Kearny, 2018 BRAC board chair, says in a statement. “Amidst the messy budget crisis, there are still opportunities to advance priorities that are important to the region.”
In addition to supporting a limited constitutional convention, here are BRAC’s legislative priorities:
- Secure funding to address the Capital Region’s transportation crisis
- Support a pro-growth and balanced approach to tax reform
- Defend and improve Louisiana’s economic development toolkit
- Protect K-12 educational reforms and student achievement gains and promote the expansion of high-quality early childhood education
- Increase standards for TOPS
Within those agenda items, BRAC is advocating for additional measures to track employment and placement of TOPS graduates across Louisiana communities, K-12 educational reforms, streamlining the Industrial Tax Exemption Program process and securing funding for a new bridge across the Mississippi River.
Support for a constitutional convention, a new position for BRAC, is mentioned as part of its goal for a balanced approach to tax reform. A limited constitutional convention would focus on certain areas of state government such as education or revenue and finance.
“The state’s tax policy directly affects the Capital Region’s economic momentum, and should address the need for stable funding for higher education and health care, and provide businesses with the predictability and stability to create jobs,” the chamber says, adding that it would support the extension of all or part the fifth sales tax penny if it creates a path to fiscal reform and reiterates its support for the proposed Louisiana Checkbook.
Read BRAC’s full commentary on its 2018 legislative priorities.
