While proposals to increase taxes may be dead on arrival when reaching Gov. Bobby Jindal’s desk, the administration seems willing to at least review fee changes this session, based on a request for comment by LaPolitics.
But how lawmakers package them will determine how Jindal comes down on the issue. That is, the governor is neither opening the door for fees, nor is he shutting down related talks.
”We will review any fee increase proposal to determine if they are truly fees to pay for services rendered and not taxes by a different name,” says Jindal spokesperson Shannon Bates Dirmann.
The possibility of such reviews could represent a very small—maybe tiny—opening for state departments and agencies that are facing 15% reductions across the board next fiscal year. The latest multiyear revenue forecast has many thinking long term. The 2015-2016 fiscal year will face a $1.6 billion shortfall, at the very least, with the following three fiscal years seeing budget shortfalls ranging between $1.4 billion and $1.8 billion each, based on no changes in the economy and incoming revenue streams.
—Converting Louisiana back to a closed primary election system has been an issue that has been on and off the political radar over the past year. But a group of high-ranking Republicans hope to keep it on and quietly are touring the state to build support. Sources tell LaPolitics that the state’s Republican National Committeeman Ross Little is working with other members of the GOP central committee to gauge support of lawmakers and donors.
Meetings are taking place, guided by a supportive resolution from the central committee. While there’s a chance the issue could surface in legislation during the spring session, the only consensus among those involved so far is that the conversion shouldn’t happen until after 2016. Whether state and federal races both should be included is still a point of contention, as is what to do with independent voters.
The effort could face opposition from Secretary of State Tom Schedler, who said in an earlier interview, “There’s a divided sea on that particular issue. I personally like the open primary system. I think it works well for Louisiana.”
He added that the temporary switch back to closed primaries in 2010 was confusing for voters. Still, there’s an undeniable appeal for Louisiana Republicans. Reverting back to closed primaries would force more white voters to the GOP side. Currently, most have no incentive to change their party registration, even if they’re voting Republican. There’s definitely an existing trend to build on, with 225,000 white Democrats defecting over the past 10 years.
They said it: “It’s a bunch of crap is all it is.” —Potential 2016 GOP presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson speaking about political correctness at the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry’s annual meeting in Baton Rouge this week
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter, or on Facebook. He can be reached at mailto:JJA@LaPolitics.com JJA@LaPolitics.com.
