RSS Feed

BATON ROUGE—State Sen. Sharon Hewitt plans to author a bill that would allow members of the disabled community to participate remotely statewide committee and board meetings.

A Senate task force on remote operations of public entities voted Friday to suggest guidelines for how statewide bodies can hold their meetings remotely.

The guidelines aim to provide flexibility for board and commission members from all over the state who must travel to meet in person and to accommodate members of the disabled community so they can participate in government, according to Sen. Hewitt, R-Slidell.

“During COVID, we all learned you could operate remotely and there were some really strong benefits to doing that,” Hewitt said. “And so, we’re trying to capitalize on some of those things while still recognizing that we are doing the people’s work.”

The provisions would permit statewide entities that meet at least six times a year to hold no more than one-third of their meetings remotely. Local entities are always required to meet in-person, except in declared states of disaster or emergency.

Under the guidelines, some boards and commissions, such as the ones governing K-12 and higher education, would be ineligible to meet remotely.

All board and commission members with a disability recognized under the Americans with Disabilities Act would be allowed to participate in meetings remotely.

Task force member Lillian DeJean advocated that disabled members of the public also be allowed to join in-person local meetings remotely.

“I just feel like, with your members of the public, it’s almost equally important, that your disabled public gets to participate,” DeJean said.

Steven Procopio, another task force member, said he agreed with DeJean but cautioned that requiring local bodies to provide remote access for disabled individuals might introduce an unfunded mandate, which is unconstitutional under Louisiana’s Constitution. While this point will require further legal discussion, the recommendation was adopted.

The task force also provided special considerations for boards and commissions that serve the disabled community directly.

Amy Deaville, the executive director of Louisiana Developmental Disabilities Council, asked that the task force consider both board members with disabilities and the caregivers of individuals with disabilities who serve the council when drafting the bill.

“I couldn’t be happier for the outcome today, and I’m looking forward to see how that legislation is going to look in April,” said Christina Martin, the regional advocacy leader for Louisiana Council’s Advocacy Network.

Terrebonne General | Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center announced that Rockne Hymel, III, M.D., has joined Terrebonne General | Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center as its newest radiation oncologist.

After receiving his Bachelor of Science in biological sciences from Louisiana State University, Hymel earned his medical degree from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. He completed his residency in radiation oncology at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Hymel is board certified in radiation oncology with the American Board of Radiology.

“As we continue to grow our physician group, we are able to provide even more options to our patients across the Mary Bird Perkins network,” said Jonas Fontenot, PhD, MBA, president, and CEO Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. “Dr. Hymel’s experience and 100 percent focus on the best radiation oncology practices will benefit Houma-area residents looking for leading-edge cancer resources in a convenient and comfortable setting.”

Hymel previously practiced at Ochsner Cancer Center in Baton Rouge.

Money will be among the driving themes of the regular session that convenes April 10. 

From how much lawmakers can spend in the current budget year and the next to how much they should expend on their own salaries, senators and representatives will soon take a deep dive into the dollars and cents of state government. 

And while cash will have undoubtedly a front-and-center role in this tax-centered session, the fall’s elections will serve as the stage and backdrop. 

Many in the House and Senate are seeking re-election, which will no doubt color their decisions, and those who return will likewise have to deal with a developing leadership race for president and speaker. The governor’s election will also spill over into the spring tax session.  

As for a policy preview, there are two big issues moving through the Natural Resources committees this year, said House Chair Jean-Paul Coussan.

The first involves a continued push by the Coastal Conservation Association and others to target — and slow down — the large catch of the menhaden fishery in the Gulf of Mexico. This is much bigger deal than it sounds and this effort involves the largest industrial fishery in Louisiana and the most influential lobby of recreational fishermen in the state.

Carbon sequestration is also positioned to become a headline-grabbing issue for the Natural Resources committees this session and at least one of the related bills is expected to come from Speaker Clay Schexnayder. The oil-and-gas service industry sees big opportunities on this front, since wells would have to be drilled for
sequestration.

House and Governmental Affairs Chair John Stefanski already knows what the hottest issue will be for his panel. “I’m pretty sure we’re going to end up with the legislative pay raise bill,” he said. 

Rep. Joe Marino’s HB 149 would boost base legislative pay from $16,800 annually to $60,000, representing the first salary increase of lawmakers since 1980. The proposal will be controversial, for sure.

Election issues involving the office of Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin also continue to be hot and may surface before the same committee in a variety of forms. Rep. Mandie
Landry has a proposal as well for a ballot initiative process that could capture the attention of voters and good government groups.

Speaking of pay raises, Speaker Pro Term Tanner Magee said Capitoland observers should keep a close eye on a salary hike proposal for teachers and a suggested boost in supplemental pay for law enforcement. With sketchy financial times possible for Louisiana on the horizon, many conservatives are planning to have a robust conversation about whether the state can sustain so many pay bumps in the future.

Right now, however, the state has plenty of cash. In fact, during the upcoming session, the state will be in a position to exceed its spending cap and won’t be able to release more cash in the current fiscal year and in the next without a two-thirds vote of both chambers.''

Conservative Caucus Chair Jack McFarland said many Caucus members are concerned about such a proposal. “There’s a reason we have this cap,” said McFarland. “We need to really decide if this is the right thing to do.”

As far as policy topics go, insurance is going to be hot, too.

The market is in trouble, a special support fund was just created and — most importantly — there are a bunch of legislators running for re-election in areas that got tattooed
by storms in recent years. 

Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon, who is not seeking re-election, said last week “he would ‘absolutely’ support a proposal that would make it harder and more expensive for property owners in Louisiana to file lawsuits against insurance companies that refuse to pay claims,” according to KTBS-TV.

There will reportedly be other elements to Donelon’s legislative package. There’s also some chatter surrounding a push by Reps. Mike Huval and Gabe Firment to strengthen the state’s Fortified Roof Program.

Outside of the rails of the Legislature, this session will be a busy one for the Louisiana Family Forum, said President Gene Mills. Churches will push a constitutional amendment that gives them more autonomy when it comes to emergency orders, like those issued during the COVID-19 scare. 

LFF boosters also plan to engage on the evolving library boards issue and will defend against abortion exceptions.

“We want to make sure there aren’t any hitchhikers on that,” said Mills.

When asked about the politics of the coming session, Senate President Page Cortez suggested the governor’s race will be part of the larger “backdrop” of the coming weeks. 

“You have a couple of lawmakers in the race, Jeff is still attorney general and will be around the session and John is still treasurer and will be around,” said Cortez.

“Wags is in the race, too, but LABI will have its first session since that happened. There’s also a lot of policy I’m sure Shawn is going to want to keep track of.” As for the internal races for speaker and president, Cortez said he doubted the regular session would influence those events. “I think whoever wants those jobs were probably pursing them prior to this session,” he added.

(For more on taxes and the agendas of other legislative committees, tune in next week for the second part of this regular session policy preview.)

For more Louisiana political news, visit www. LaPolitics.com or follow Alford on Twitter @ LaPoliticsNow

Oceaneering has donated to the effort to erect a monument to oilfield divers outside Morgan City Municipal Auditorium. Shown from left are Micah Allen, Bryce Merrill, Pat Mannina and Jack Vilas. Mannina is the vice president Americas for Oceaneering. The company received a certificate of donation and a Challenge Coin. Oceaneering's donation has helped the project build a 6-foot bronze statue of a 1965- to 1975-era oilfield diver.

Submitted Photo