As usual, this legislative session featured another missed opportunity for reform in Louisiana. At least this year, legislators were not trying to triple their salaries. They spent most of their time squabbling over money, as the budget deficit made things uncomfortable in Baton Rouge. Revenue was $1.3 billion less than last year due to the poor national economy and the drop in oil and gas prices. As usual, health care and higher education bore the brunt of the cuts. Despite much hyperbole about drastic spending cuts, in the end, legislators used millions from the Rainy Day fund, an insurance incentive fund and the federal stimulus to minimize any spending reductions.

 

So, holes in the budget were patched with “one time” money and real systemic budget and fiscal reform was not attempted. The legislative slush fund remained intact, so did an outrageous multi-million dollar subsidy to a golf course in Jefferson Parish. An effort to streamline our bloated higher education system will have to wait while a commission presents its findings next year.

 

The House and Senate were mostly at odds during the session over the issues of higher education cuts and taxes. Fortunately, attempts to raise revenue by taxing the Internet, gasoline and cigarettes all failed. The Senate passed a bill to postpone for three years the rollback of the infamous Stelly tax increase. This would have generated an additional $118 million in tax revenue, but it was killed by the House after strong opposition from Governor Jindal. 

 

A bill to give homeowners the first increase in the homestead exemption since 1982 was defeated in committee. Local officials and the business community worked together to derail this bill even though 60,000 Louisiana residents signed an on-line petition demanding an increase. Local politicians, joined by bevy of lobbyists, also worked together to defeat a bill introduced by State Representatives Jeff Arnold (D-New Orleans) and Cedric Richmond (D-New Orleans) to remove red light cameras from Louisiana. These cameras bring in millions of dollars each year from motorists and the money was too tempting for local politicians to forgo.

 

Typically, legislators spent too much time on trivial issues such as motorcycle helmets. Once again, some legislators, with support from Governor Jindal and former Governor Foster, tried to pass a law eliminating the motorcycle helmet requirement. Thankfully, legislators had the good sense to defeat the bill. In the future, let’s hope that our esteemed legislators will not waste any more time debating motorcycle helmets.

 

Another spirited debate involved the use of hand held cell phones in vehicles. A controversial bill authored by State Representative Austin Badon (D-New Orleans) was defeated in a Senate committee after much deliberation. It would have made use of hand held cell phones illegal for motorists. The bill passed the House, but died after Badon could not produce any verifiable research that showed the use of hand held cell phones was more dangerous than using a hands free device.

 

In another disappointing development, the Jindal administration scuttled legislation offered by State Representative Neil Abramson (D-New Orleans) that would have provided full transparency and opened up the activities of the executive branch to the public. Unfortunately, the Governor was successful in diluting the measure and a much less ambitious bill was passed by the legislature. So, the public will continue to be shielded from what is really going on with the Governor’s office.

 

Obviously, there was some good legislation passed. Automobile safety was advanced as legislators increased penalties on drunk driving and passed legislation that mandated seat belt use by passengers in the backseat of vehicles.

 

The Saints were big winners as a very lucrative package of incentives was passed that will keep the team in New Orleans for many years to come. The deal played a big part in convincing the NFL to award New Orleans the Super Bowl for a record tenth time in 2012. The deal will give Saints owner Tom Benson the ability to buy the old Dominion Tower and a shopping center adjacent to the Superdome and lease back the space to tenants that work for state government. The deal also included $85 million in Superdome improvements.

 

Overall, legislators deserve a “D” for this session. It could have been worse, but it should have been much more significant and reform oriented. Sadly, legislators put some patches on the budget with “one time” funding and are setting the stage for future raiding of the Rainy Day Fund. What legislators should have done is seriously cut the bloated bureaucracy of state government, which has tripled in size in the last 12 years. Such bold moves require leadership, a commodity in short supply in Baton Rouge.