For all the emotion of the speeches by representatives urging the override of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s veto of the tobacco tax renewal, the only real drama left in the chamber today was over how many of the 70 members who voted for the renewal would switch their votes. The answer was eight Republicans, two Democrats and one independent, who, along with three nay-voting Republicans who were absent the first time, gave the governor plenty of cushion. The motion to override was 58-44, 12 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed. Nearly a dozen speeches in favor of the override were filled with emotional anecdotes about relatives who had died of lung cancer and with pleas for members to stand on principle. No one spoke against the override. It was a significant victory for the governor, who has had a rough session, particularly in the House. He maintained a pristine anti-tax record at little cost, for the 4-cent tobacco tax, generating $12 million, won’t expire until next year.
The outcome of the vote was not truly a loss for Speaker Jim Tucker, who had lobbied and spoken for the override; his stand underscored the Republican’s independence from the governor. Some Democrats had theorized an override could marginally work to their advantage in the fall elections among voters made angry by the governor’s veto. Despite high public support for increased tobacco taxes, demonstrated in polls, most Republican members did not feel voting with the governor would make them more vulnerable for re-election.
(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.)
