Maginnis to provide daily commentary on session beginning today

As a new legislative session opens today with the political stage set for historic battles on school and pension reform, Daily Report readers can look forward to getting fresh perspective on all the blow-by-blow at the Capitol every day from award-winning political columnist John Maginnis. The publisher of LaPolitics Weekly will be providing exclusive commentary every day of the session on Daily Report PM. Lawmakers are to convene at noon today to kick off the session. Gov. Bobby Jindal is scheduled to speak an hour later to a joint session of the House and Senate. The Republican governor’s agenda is dictating the tone and main topics to be considered in the three-month session. He’s pushing large changes to teacher pay and education funding, and he’s proposing to shrink retirement benefits for thousands of state workers. More than 1,500 bills have been filed, with legislators proposing to revisit annual fights over cellphone use while driving, teaching sex education in classes, abortion restrictions and mandatory drug-testing for welfare recipients. But legislative leaders say the focus will be on education, retirement and the 2012-13 budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The session must end by June 4. Maginnis has been writing about state politics since 1972, and his syndicated column appears in publications across the state, including Business Report. If you’re not already signed up for Daily Report PM and you want to get Maginnis’ insights on the session, click here.