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Friday, May 24th, 2013 Senate Finance to hear from public at Friday's hearing
Jindal signs first bills of 2013 legislative session into law Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal signed six bills into law Thursday. The bills were the first pieces of legislation to make it to the governor's desk and be approved during the 2013 legislative session. Clerks of Court pay raise approved A bill allowing clerks of court to receive a 4 percent pay raise zipped through the state Senate Thursday. The Senate voted 27-7 in favor of House Bill 174, giving the proposal final legislative passage. House member complains of delay The sponsor of a House-passed bill that would delay the impact of Louisiana’s new teacher evaluations said Thursday action on his proposal is being unfairly delayed in a state Senate committee, as the session nears its June 6 adjournment. Jindal officials say public hospital privatization is ahead of schedule Deals to privatize nine of the state's public hospitals are nearing completion, carrying a larger price tag than initially envisioned, an official in Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration said Thursday. Overall, the plan will involve spending more than $1 billion on hospital services in the next year, more than was budgeted for the hospitals this year. That money comes from a mix of state and federal funds and will be supplemented with the lease payments made by the private hospitals that will take over the state facilities. When all those savings and payments are tallied, the state will wind up freeing up about $100 million in the budget, Commissioner of Administration Kristy Nichols said. In a conference call with reporters Thursday, Nichols said officials had plans to move forward with the privatizations -- some ahead of schedule -- and were working on the necessary budget amendments. That comes in the wake of concerns that most of the money in the existing budget for those privatizations had already been committed to the first three proposals to go through. Thursday, May 23rd, 2013 Tea party storm largely inside IRS — so far
Republicans shout, Democrats shrug over auditor's request for financials In response to a letter from Purpera's office, the Republican Party sent out an email message Wednesday blasting the auditor's office and suggesting that the request was politically motivated and possibly tied to the party's opposition to a budget proposal put forward by some House members earlier this year. Lorusso was not one of the key figures behind that plan. It also tied the request to the ongoing revelations that federal IRS employees targeted filings by Tea Party groups for closer scrutiny. In a letter to the auditor's office, the party also sought records of similar requests made to the Democratic Party and copies of any correspondence between the auditors office and lawmakers regarding the financial statements. "We have grave concerns that this action is an attempt out of the Obama administration's playbook to halt our ability to express free speech," party Executive Director Jason Dore said in the email. Breakaway district bill advances Nearing a showdown vote, a House committee Wednesday approved one of the bills aimed at creating a new school district in southeast Baton Rouge. The vote was 14-7 in the House Appropriations Committee, which reviewed the bill for the cost impact. The measure, Senate Bill 199, next faces action in the full House. Senate OKs pay raise for judges Louisiana's judges would receive pay raises of between $16,000 and $19,250 over five years under a bill approved by the Senate on Wednesday. The bill was passed over the objections of some lawmakers who noted that state workers have not received a pay raise in six years. Senate Bill 188, sponsored by state Sen. Danny Martiny, R-Metairie, would adopt recommendations made by the Judicial Compensation Commission in January to raise 2013 salaries for Louisiana's Supreme Court justices by 5.5 percent, appellate court judges by 3.7 percent and general trial court and city/parish judges by 4 percent. After 2013, salaries for all four categories of judges would increase by 2.1 percent a year for the next four years, in line with the historic rate of judicial salary increases in southern states since 1983. A Supreme Court justice making roughly $152,000 in 2013 would see his or her pay increase to more than $171,000 by 2018. Assessors could raise their own pay under bill headed to House floor Assessors in Louisiana would be able to raise their own salaries by up to about 17 percent over four years under a bill headed to the state House. But lawmakers warned assessors that doing so could prompt a backlash from their constituents. The House Ways and Means Committee approved Senate Bill 63 by Sen. Fred Mills, R-Breaux Bridge, on Wednesday, sending the measure to the House floor for a vote. The Senate has already approved the bill. Rep. Taylor Barras, R-New Iberia, stressed that the bill doesn't require assessors to increase their pay, but would give them that power. The last time assessors received a pay increase was seven years ago, Barras said. Senate panel approves bill to raise LSU student fees Louisiana State University students would see their fees increase between $48 and $2,500 under a bill approved by the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday. The bill passed without opposition and now heads to the Senate floor for final consideration. House Bill 671, sponsored by Rep. Frank Foil, R-Baton Rouge, would allow the LSU Board of Supervisors to assess all students a $48 per-semester fee for campus maintenance, depending on the number of credit hours a student is carrying. Students enrolled in the LSU dental program in New Orleans would be assessed an extra $575 per year in fees for supplies and prosthetic devices beginning next academic school year. And students taking online or "distance learning" courses would be assessed an extra fee. Senate passes amended Equal Pay for Women Act Female state workers should be paid as much as their male colleagues, Louisiana lawmakers declared Wednesday. The state Senate passed a much narrower version of the Equal Pay for Women Act that failed in that same chamber last week. Senate Bill 153 by state Sen. Edwin Murray, D-N.O., was one of several pieces of legislation introduced this year seeking to lessen the state's gender pay gap for both public and private workers. But an amendment offered by state Sen. Patrick "Page" Cortez, R-Lafayette, on Wednesday restricted the legislation to make it applicable to state workers only. Murray objected to the adoption of Smith's amendment, saying the private sector is home to the largest gender pay disparities in the state. But the amendment was adopted with nearly 70 percent of the Senate's support. Common core ban resolution fails The state Senate scuttled a resolution Thursday asking the state to withdraw from a new set of educational standards. Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 68 would target what is known as common core — a set of standards adopted by nearly every state to give students more depth on key subjects and make students more competitive with their peers worldwide. Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013 Medicaid expansion, Obamacare rejection bills fail in Louisiana House
Senate passes 3 gun bills; one is headed to Jindal's desk Journalists, bloggers or anyone else who intentionally publishes concealed-carry handgun permit information would be subject to stiff penalties under a bill passed by the Louisiana Senate on Tuesday. Two other gun bills also were approved. House Bill 8, sponsored by state Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Bossier City, would penalize the release of concealed handgun permit information. The bill was approved 33-2 with New Orleans Democrats Karen Carter Peterson and Edwin Murray voting against it. Under the legislation, penalties for publication would include a $10,000 fine, six months in jail, or both. Law enforcement officers who share such information knowing it would be published could be fined $500 and also spend six months in jail. Public school aid plan fails A $3.5 billion spending plan for public schools was rejected by a state Senate committee Tuesday, which will likely kill the measure for the session. Social media driving bill clears final legislative hurdle The state Senate gave final legislative approval Tuesday to a prohibition against tweeting while driving. Legislature holds onto tuition control
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The Louisiana House already addressed some of the public’s concerns by unraveling cuts to battered women shelters and senior centers.
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Two completely different bills dealing with the federal health care overhaul, one using federal funding to provide insurance to the working poor and the other trying to nullify parts of the Affordable Care Act, died on the House floor Tuesday. House Bill 233 by Rep. Patricia Smith, D-Baton Rouge, would have required the state Department of Health and Hospitals to accept federal dollars under the Affordable Care Act, sometimes known as Obamacare, to pay for coverage in a private insurance-based model. The legislation mirrors a bill that has been passed in Arkansas allowing the Medicaid expansion dollars to pay for private insurance plans in a federally mandated health insurance exchange.
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