Gov. Jeff Landry either got everything he wanted or played his politics incredibly well during the year’s first three sessions:
- The organizational session gave Landry legislative leaders he could work with and who understand his methodology.
- The redistricting special session allowed him to steer clear of most of the mapping drama, while strengthening alliances with lawmakers like Senate and Governmental Affairs Chair Cleo Fields, the author of the new congressional lines and a likely candidate for Congress.
- The recent special session on criminal justice yielded a 100 percent passage rate for all of the crime-related bills publicly backed by Landry.
The regular session, however, could be a different policymaking experience for the governor, who was able to personally draft the agendas for this year’s special sessions.
Beginning March 11, lawmakers will be in a regular session where they can introduce and debate any topics they choose, within certain limits (no revenue-generating tax bills are allowed in even-numbered years, for instance). So Landry won’t enjoy as much control.
Additionally, the term is just two months old and many lawmakers have been in Baton Rouge as much as they’ve been home. The idea of yet another session around the corner is less than appetizing.
“Patience starts to run a little low,” says Rep. Kyle Green of Jefferson Parish, a Democrat.
To prove fatigue is a bipartisan issue, GOP Rep. Mike Bayham of St. Bernard Parish, added, “I think we’re all tired.”
Exactly how the legislative mood might influence the regular session is unknown, but the math is against Landry winning on every single issue—again. Put another way, all honeymoons must come to an end at some point.
Landry and his team must construct a budget that prepares for the expiration of a temporary state sales tax in 2025. That could mean tough budget cuts, which would require tough votes by lawmakers.
That said, Landry’s biggest challenge in the regular session may involve not getting involved in high-profile issues.
The medical community will be divided again over noncompete topics, coastal diversion work is sparking litigation as well as legislation, and sequestration forces are back for another bite of the legislative apple.
As Landry mounts his own massive battles, like taking on all things New Orleans, some of these showstopper issues at the state Capitol may take a backseat.
For that to happen, though, conservatives inside the rails of the House and Senate will need to ensure they can deliver votes on their own.
“Republicans are more unified than I’ve ever seen in the House,” Speaker Pro Tem Mike Johnson of Pineville says.
Johnson says relations between the two chambers also have improved, which he attributes in part to a strong relationship between the president and speaker, and to the former House members who have moved over to the Senate.
Bayham, for his part, says he has seen Speaker Phillip DeVillier of Eunice grow more comfortable in his role, adding he didn’t face consequences when he differed with the leadership on redistricting.
“He hasn’t bulldozed anybody,” Bayham says of DeVillier.
One point of disagreement between the House and Senate is Supreme Court reapportionment. Johnson’s House Bill 22 passed the House 97-6, yet died in committee on the Senate side.
Johnson says adjusting the court’s districts needs to be an early priority for the regular session. He says he hopes the map will start with the Senate next time.
More broadly, Johnson and others expect education, economic development and insurance to be the regular session’s main themes.
Landry is already pushing to make education savings accounts, or ESAs, a regular session priority.
We’ll have to see how much the related votes might fall along party lines. ESAs allow for spending public money on private education, which could be controversial among Republicans who have worked in education or have family members who do so.
Green agrees that ESA votes may not be fully partisan, as some Democrats are supportive.
“The tough votes are going to be on insurance,” Bayham opined when asked to locate the regular session’s speed bumps.
So far, Landry hasn’t been out front on the insurance issue, which could make those votes less predictable than those taken during the special session on crime.
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter, or Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
