The Senate wasted no time in daring the governor to veto the tobacco tax renewal, taking up HB 591 out of regular order and passing it, 29-8. Gov. Bobby Jindal has ten days to veto the measure or allow it to become law without his signature. “Whether the governor vetoes this or not has nothing to do with whether this is the right thing to do,” says Senate President Joel Chaisson. Only one senator, Sen. Robert Adley, R-Benton, spoke against the measure, saying he voted against the 4-cent increase in 2000. The House passed the measure by the bare minimum 70 votes, so the governor would only need one switch to deny the override. Rep. Harold Ritchie, D-Bogalusa, who sponsored the bill, has said two representatives who voted nay had told him to come see them again if it gets down to an override vote. The $12 million from the 4-cent renewal would not roll off until July 2012, so the bill, if it passed, would have no effect on the current budget debate. But tax renewal has been a point of contention by Democrats and many Republicans, who resent that the governor backs raising tuition while giving a break to smokers.
— When the Senate Finance Committee meets today, its members will consider restoring over $200 million in cuts made by the House last week. Legislative sources expect the panel to go along with the governor’s office to restore most or all of the funds, setting the two houses on a collision course in the final three weeks. This week, the governor’s chief of staff, Timmy Teepell, called health care lobbyists to the fourth floor to press them to lobby House members to put back an $81 million reduction, which the administration states will amount to a $264 million cut to providers when Medicaid matching funds are included.
(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.)
