New House members listened attentively in their orientation session to the Republican and Democratic caucus leaders debate whether or not the governor intrudes on the legislative process. Reps. Tony Ligi, R-Kenner, and John Bel Edwards, D-Amite, both scored points, but the definitive answer came at day’s end when Rep. Joel Robideaux, R-Lafayette, conceded the obvious and withdrew from the speakership race in favor of the governor’s choice, Rep. Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles. With leadership questions put aside, the administration’s new challenge emerged late Wednesday when the Revenue Estimating Conference lopped $198 million off the current fiscal year’s revenue projections. The administration is expected to put forward a plan to deal with the shortfall at Friday’s meeting of the Joint Budget Committee, though it has 30 days to act.
—The governor continued his statewide school tour this week to build support for his unannounced K-12 reform agenda. But much of that support appears already there, according to a new poll released Wednesday that shows significant public backing for big changes in education. A Southern Media poll paid for by businessman Lane Grigsby signals to lawmakers that the public is broadly dissatisfied with public schools and supportive of major changes. But the greatest dissatisfaction with the status of schools came from African-Americans, the traditional voter base for the current education establishment that is opposed to Jindal’s education policies.
They said it: “Imagine if former LSU football Coach Curley Hallman had tenure.” —Sen. David Vitter, commenting on the need for changing teacher tenure (with a comparison borrowed from the most recent column of Business Report Publisher Rolfe McCollister)
(John Maginnis publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com.)
John Maginnis will be taking two weeks off for the holidays. His column will return to Daily Report on Friday, Jan. 7.
