While Gov. Bobby Jindal got nothing but lingering hard feelings from the surrender on the Southern University at New Orleans–University of New Orleans merger bill, his ally on the bill, Speaker Jim Tucker, R-Terrytown, salvaged a piece very important to him: the separation of UNO from the LSU system. This morning, the companion Senate merger bill by Sen. Conrad Appel, R-Metairie, was replaced with a substitute bill, SB 183, that seeks only to transfer UNO to the University of Louisiana System. UNO alumnus Tucker had cited the school’s separation from LSU as a priority for him, and the move is widely supported in New Orleans. With no objection from the LSU System—Tucker says its resistance would be “suicidal”—the new bill cleared the Senate Education Committee. On his bill, Tucker says he would work with the Legislative Black Caucus on cooperative endeavor agreements among the two schools and Delgado Community College to share some services and reduce costs.
What figured to be the highlight of today’s House session, debate on a bill to repeal the state individual income tax, was put off until Monday. The bill from Rep. Hunter Greene, R-Baton Rouge, HB 634, would eliminate the tax on January 2012 and decrease state revenue by $943 million for the 2012-13 fiscal year. The bill is widely seen as a point of pressure on Jindal’s budget policies, on which House leaders clashed this week. The governor’s office has stated it is “not taking seriously” Greene’s bill until he offers a corresponding plan to make up for the loss of revenue.
(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.)
