You’ve probably heard about the potential teacher pay raise bill. You’ve likely heard the rumblings concerning the gas tax proposal. And there’s no doubt you’re ready for the possibility of another budget fight that boils down to principles rather than pennies.
But what about those fiscal-related bills favored by House conservatives? Will those policy ideas make appearances during the 2019 regular session?
Probably so, according to House Speaker Taylor Barras, R-New Iberia.
“With the budget reforms, as we’ve talked about over the years, a spending cap and the work requirements and income verification on Medicaid, I think you’ll see a lot of that get repeated as we continue to see that budget grow and the dependence on federal dollars grow,” said Barras. “So trying to get as much efficiency as we can built into the spending side to avoid having to do much more on the revenue side, I think you’ll see that combination continue to work through.”
Contacted for a second opinion, House Majority Leader Lance Harris of Alexandria took little time to weigh in on the matter. “I totally agree with that,” he said of the speaker’s forecast. “All of that.”
—According to sources connected to his developing statewide bid, Temptan president Tim Temple of DeRidder will soon officially announce the formation of a campaign for insurance commissioner. Incumbent Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon has held the post for a dozen years, and by all indications will seek another term. In his last finance report filed in February, Donleon had $204,000 in his campaign kitty. The likely candidate’s father was Aubrey T. Temple Jr., the founding chairman of the board of Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation. This campaign would be Temple’s first run for elected office. However, he does have some experience in state government, having worked as an aide to former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu during her tenure as state treasurer.
They Said It: “Sometime around 2:15, I get a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.” —Gov. John Bel Edwards, on his lunch, on WVLA-TV
