Jeremy Alford: Dollars will drive much of legislative session

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.)

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