The Committee of 100, a business roundtable group comprising top executives of the state’s 100 largest companies, will begin pressuring lawmakers to support Gov. John Bel Edwards’ call for a June special session.
In the wake of a meeting Thursday in Baton Rouge at which Edwards addressed the group, C100 CEO Michael Olivier says his organization supports the governor’s approach to balancing the state budget through a mixture of cuts and tax increases, and will begin reaching out to individual lawmakers who are trying to block the administration’s efforts and its call for a revenue-raising session in June.
“We’ve got to work on them,” Olivier says of the primarily Republican legislators who have been opposed to virtually everything the Edwards administration has proposed. “We’ve got to work on them, influencing them to help them understand this is not a Republican or Democrat issue. This is a Louisiana issue.”
Olivier makes no apologies for what he says will be a more aggressive, though not adversarial, outreach effort. He notes C100 was created as an “influence group,” with systemic, statewide tax reform as its main goal. The group funded a study last year on the issue, and Olivier says lawmakers have to realize that some tax increases are still necessary before meaningful fiscal reform can begin.
He says his members’ message to lawmakers will be simple: “Come to a special session in June with an attitude that we need to fix this.”
C100’s approach stands in stark contrast to that of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. LABI President and CEO Stephen Waguespack is a vocal opponent of a June special session, arguing the state cannot afford to raise more taxes.
“Our revenue shortfalls are because of job losses and a recession,” Waguespack says. “I don’t see how we can get that information and say the best answer for that is to come back right now and put more taxes on that economy.”
Olivier says he knows LABI has a different perspective on the issue, but he also questions whether Waguespack’s association with former Gov. Bobby Jindal has influenced his views.
“Wags was involved with Jindal, so some of this may be kind of personal to him,” Olivier says.
Says Waguespack: “That’s ridiculous.”
Olivier cannot say how many lawmakers C100 members intend to target. But he believes the lobbying effort can make a difference.
“A call from a member of C100 is significant,” he says. “We will call or meet face to face—whatever it takes.”
—Stephanie Riegel
