The Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association has always been active in legislative elections. But this fall will be different for its MC-PAC, with big checks coming in and big asks underway. “We’ll spend more money this time than ever before,” says LMOGA president Chris John. The former congressman says term limits are one reason; the anti-energy votes taken by some lawmakers in recent years is another. While the processing tax and a handful of other perennial bills were always enough to gauge the loyalty of lawmakers to industry, John says there are now many more policy measures to track, like proposals on legacy matters and litigation. Additionally, the recent suits against oil companies by parish governments have led to LMOGA getting involved in local politics. “We’ve never played on that level before,” John says.
—Legislative leaders say the rumors about adjourning the session with a six-month budget, as opposed to addressing funding for a full year with a $1.6 billion shortfall, is not going to happen. “I don’t know where that started,” says one of the top brass. “But there’s no way we leave here without a balanced budget as called for in law. There’s no way we face re-election with a six-month budget.” Adjourning sine die without any budget at all, meanwhile, is always a dangerous possibility. But lawmakers might want to think twice if that fine line is approached. According to a little-known constitutional provision, a two-thirds vote to appropriate money turns into a three-fourths vote whenever lawmakers enter into a special session following a regular session during the final year of a governor’s term. “That’s when the cost of doing business goes up,” says a lawmaker.
They said it: “It doesn’t take long if you don’t have money.” —Senate Transportation Chairman Robert Adley, R-Benton, commenting on how quickly his committee meeting ended 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 JJA@LaPolitics.com.
