Moving on: Key pieces of Louisiana’s planned criminal justice overhaul passed the House on Tuesday, five days after they were unexpectedly shelved amid a wider political feud. The Associated Press reports House lawmakers approved five bills that are part of Gov. John Bel Edwards’ push to decrease Louisiana’s highest-in-the-nation incarceration rate and save millions annually. The passage of the bills bodes well for their chances of becoming law before the session ends June 8, as the proposals were expected to have a tougher time in the House than the Senate, which is less conservative. Read more.
Leaving it as is: Louisiana lawmakers have spurned an effort to rewrite part of the state constitution. The Associated Press reports Rep. Neil Abramson’s proposal would have started a process leading to a constitutional convention in 2019, with a scope largely limited to budget and tax issues. Abramson, D-New Orleans, said too many rules that control government spending and tax policy are locked into the constitution, and lawmakers are constrained in addressing Louisiana’s persistent financial troubles. Opponents expressed concern about opening up the constitution to outside delegates. Rep. Jay Morris, R-Monroe, says he worries about the influx of special-interest money influencing the outcome of any rewrite. The Louisiana House voted 50-45 for Abramson’s bill. It needed 70 votes to pass. Louisiana’s current constitution was adopted in 1974.
Nonstarter: One of the last major tax reform packages of the session, one that overhauls the state’s tax code, likely is dead in the House after a core piece of Baton Rouge Republican Barry Ivey’s legislation was shot down Tuesday evening. The Manship School News Service reports House Bill 360, which needed the two-thirds approval for revenue measures, fell short, 58-31 vote. The bill proposed a flat corporate tax rate of 6.5% and removed the deductibility of federal income taxes from corporate tax filings in state. HB360 was one in a slew of tax bills authored by Ivey. Substantive tax reform efforts have largely stalled this session, a fact that has become only more pointed as the June 8 session adjournment, potential fiscal shortfalls and the specter of special sessions loom.
