Education bills will come before legislators this week, and retirement bills next, according to House Speaker Chuck Kleckley. “We’ll give it a shot tomorrow,” he said of the House Education Committee’s consideration of the governor’s reform package, which is compressed into three bills. In a lunch with reporters at his Pentagon Barracks apartment, the Lake Charles Republican said he expects the controversial retirement bills to clear the Retirement Committee the following week, relatively intact. Both panels are stacked with Republicans. There are 11 on House Education, with six Democrats and conservative independent Dee Richard of Thibodaux. On House Retirement, there are eight Republicans and four Democrats. Kleckley defended the early timetable for the education bills, one of which, dealing with taxpayer-funded scholarships and other items, runs 47 pages. He said all committee members have had time to review the bills offered by committee Chairman Steve Carter, R-Baton Rouge. He wants the House to hear the retirement bills before the budget bill begins moving through the process, because $120 million of funding is contingent upon passage of bills that would increase the retirement age and employees’ payroll contributions. Legislators question if those bills can pass as is or will be amended to apply to future hires only, which would affect the budget.
—In advance of the major education bills to be heard tomorrow, the governor’s agenda got a head start when the House Ways & Means Committee approved a bill to give rebates to individuals and businesses that contribute to non-profit organizations to give private-school tuition scholarships to students now in public schools. HB 969 by Rep. Kirk Talbot, R-River Ridge, provides that the scholarships would be limited to the 80-90% of the state portion of education funding and not affect local parish funding. The contributor would receive a tax rebate in the amount of the contribution, even if no state income taxes were owed. Governor’s aides testified that a similar program that began in Florida in 2001 now serves 37,000 students, though initially the number of enrollees was very small. This is separate from the voucher bill by Rep. Steve Carter that would use state and local Minimum Foundation Program funds for scholarships for students in schools rated “C,” “D” or “F” and whose family income is under 250% of the federal poverty level. HB 969 includes the means test but is available to students in all public schools.
(John Maginnis will publish a daily update throughout the legislative session on Daily Report PM. The report is also available to LaPolitics Weekly subscribers on the Subscribers Only page at LaPolitics.com. Registration is available on the homepage.)
Louisiana Public Broadcasting is providing a daily video update featuring highlights of the session, which you can see beginning at 6 p.m. here.
Editor’s note: This story has been changed since its original publication.
