Over the protests of local government leaders, a Senate committee narrowly approved a bill requiring tax and bond elections to be held at the same time as statewide elections. Sen. Neil Riser, R-Columbia, touts SB 108 as a taxpayer protection bill on the grounds that it would stop tax issues from being decided in low-turnout elections, when they are easier to pass. The measure passed the Senate & Governmental Committee, 4-3, on a straight party-line vote. Speaking in opposition were representatives of municipal governments and school boards. Any savings from fewer elections would accrue to local governments because the state bears the costs of statewide elections. The bill, in fact, would increase costs to the state by necessitating additional voting machines to accommodate the language of tax propositions that would not fit on the regular election ballot. The bill was amended to allow the secretary of state to use paper ballots for tax issues when it is more cost-efficient than buying more voting machines, currently running about $6,000 apiece.
— Legislators can still be treated to a cup of coffee, even a modest lunch or dinner, after a House committee shot down a bill that would have barred lobbyists from buying any food or drink for lawmakers. It took the House & Governmental Affairs Committee only five minutes to kill HB 453 by Rep. Walker Hines, R-New Orleans. A 2008 ethics law limited the amount that a lobbyist can spend entertaining a legislator to $50 per occasion, now up to $53 after inflation indexing. Hines, who is running for secretary of state, stated in a release that he was disappointed but not surprised by the committee action. “In the future, I hope the public demands their elected officials adopt a complete ban for free gifts, drinks or meals from lobbyists,” his statement read. His bill was endorsed by the Tea Party of Louisiana.
(John Maginnis will publish a daily update on the legislative session at 3 p.m., available to LaPolitics Weekly subscribers on the Subscribers Only page at LaPolitics.com. You can register your user name and password on the Lapolitics home page.)
