Lawmakers look back on hits and misses

The annual St. Mary Chamber post-session luncheon is a chance for lawmakers to look back at the Legislature’s accomplishments. There was plenty of that Wednesday at the Petroleum Club of Morgan City.

But attention also turned to things that didn’t get done, notably an attempt to change the way juvenile crime is prosecuted.

After state Sen. Bret Allain and state Rep. Vincent St. Blanc, both Franklin Republicans, and Rep. Beryl Amedee, R-Gray, made their presentations, Morgan
City Court Judge Kim Stansbury made a plea to reverse the law that puts 17-year-olds in the juvenile justice system.

Before the law changed in 2019, 17-year-olds were treated as adults. And some officials in the justice system say the change contributed to a recent surge in violent crime by offenders classified as juveniles since then.

“We’ve seen more guns in the last two years than in my 23 years on the bench,” Stansbury said.

At a recent town hall meeting in Patterson, 16th Judicial District Attorney Bo Duhé said that in the year before the change, 22 Louisiana juveniles committed 33 homicides. In 2019, after 17-year-olds legally became juveniles, 70 juveniles committed 99 homicides.

The higher age limit, plus a move toward smaller detention facilities under what is called “the Missouri model” over the last two decades, contributed to a shortage of jail space for juvenile offenders.

Some officials say they’re forced to leave potentially violent offenders in the custody of parents because of a lack of jail beds or the expense of sending them to out-of-state facilities.

“We were sold on the Missouri model,” Allain said. “It didn’t take long to figure out it didn’t work.”

A bill to reclassify 17-year-olds as adults died awaiting action in the state House as the session ended. The feeling at the head table Wednesday was that Gov. John Bel Edwards blocked the bill.

Amedee also criticized Edwards’ vetoes on bills she said would offer protection against crime, limit the state’s authority to reduce church attendance on public health grounds and prevent what she called “excessive shutdowns” during the pandemic.

Amedee said she’s in favor of bringing the Legislature back for a veto override session.

Despite the failure to achieve some legislative goals, Allain pointed to successes by the Legislature and from the private sector.

About $240 million has been earmarked for the long-delayed Interstate 49 South work, including the resurfacing of U.S. 90 between New Iberia and Morgan City.

After the luncheon, Allain said he’s talking with Shawn Wilson, secretary of the state Department of Transportation and Development, about how soon the resurfacing can begin.

Bollinger Shipyard, which operates a yard in Amelia, is bidding on $50 billion in work for the Coast Guard and Navy over 20 years, Allain said.

“There’s plenty of work in there for St. Mary, Terrebonne and Lafourche,” he said.

The state is putting $20 million into a coastal research center at Nicholls State, which will play a role in the work performed by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, Allain said.

Edwards recently nominated the Atchafalaya Basin as a site for a National Estuarine Research Reserve. The nomination requires approval from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration after an environmental impact study and other preparatory work.

But the NERR designation, which local officials say will lead to tourism and educational benefits locally, could mean $20 million to $50 million in investment and 60-120 jobs initially, Allain said. He’s lobbying for a Morgan City facility.

Florida has focused on ecotourism for its NERR sites, Allain said, with 400 jobs as a result.

“This is huge, guys,” Allain said. “This is absolutely huge.”

Allain has pushed tax reform measures as chairman of the Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee. He said 22 of 23 tax measures passed.

Voters also approved a reduction in Louisiana’s top income tax rate from 6% to 4.75%.

Amedee praised a new phonics program to be instituted in Louisiana, which she said has improved reading scores elsewhere. She also noted that the state has used American Rescue Plan Act funding to replenish the unemployment insurance trust fund, which was drained by COVID pandemic joblessness.

A healthy fund prevents higher unemployment taxes for employers, she said

St. Blanc pointed to a bill he introduced to provide for state fire marshal inspections of small, in-home child care facilities. Other St. Blanc bills require prompt notification when an excavator damages underground facilities and extends the terms of appointees to the Morgan City Harbor and Terminal District Commission from four years to seven.