Gov Jindal's top priorities: saving chicken plant and defeating unemployment expansion
The Times-Picayune
May 5, 2009
Gov. Bobby Jindal said this morning that his top legislative priorities for the coming week are passing a bill that lets money from an economic-development fund be used to support a North Louisiana chicken plant, and defeating legislation that would clear the way for Louisiana to accept $98 million in new federal financing for unemployment benefits.
Jindal also expressed support for indexing the state's homestead exemption to the rate of inflation, and put some daylight between himself and House Speaker Jim Tucker on the issue of how a proposed New Orleans teaching hospital should be governed.
His comments came during a morning briefing with reporters as part of a stepped-up effort by his administration to exert stronger influence over a legislative process that sometimes got away from him last year, when lawmakers voted themselves a pay raise and approved a deep income-tax cut despite his early objections.
The governor has made no secret of his opposition to accepting the expanded unemployment benefits, made available to Louisiana and other states as part of the $787 billion economic stimulus law, arguing that it would eventually force an unemployment tax increase on some businesses. But some Democrats have promised to force the issue.
House Bill 610 by Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans, gets its first hearing Wednesday in the House Labor & Industrial Relations Committee, and its fate should provide another indication in this young session on whether lawmakers are willing to buck the governor on a key priority.
On the hospital issue, Jindal said he supports the creation of an independent board that would have representatives from Louisiana State University, Tulane and other local institutions that would use the hospital as a training ground. He also said the board should have enough independence that it could incur debt on its own, without a state guarantee.
Tucker, R-Algiers, whose House Bill 830 sailed out of the House Health and Welfare Committee last week and is scheduled for floor debate on Thursday, has proposed creating a new board within the Department of Health and Hospitals that would not include any university representation. Instead, it would be made up of community stakeholders chosen by the governor and legislature based on recommendations submitted by health-care interests and good-government groups.
On property taxes, the governor said indexing the homestead exemption, which currently leaves the first $75,000 of a home's value untaxed, "certainly seems reasonable." Rep. Fred Mills Jr., D-St. Martinville, has proposed such an indexing in House Bill 452, which is up for debate today in the House Ways and Means Committee but is not likely to face a vote.
But he was skeptical of House Bill 252 by Rep. Kevin Pearson, R-Slidell, that would broaden the property tax base by taxing the first $10,000 of a home's assessed value and then leave the next $75,000 untaxed. Doing so "would add expense and complexity" to the tax-collection process, the governor said.
Jindal also:
• Reiterated his support for House Bill 720 by Rep. Jane Smith, R-Shreveport, which provides a two-month amnesty period next year where tax scofflaws would waive some penalties for people who pay overdue tax bills.
• Gave his blessing to House Bill 639 by Rep. James Morris, R-Oil City, which would repeal the motorcycle helmet requirement for adults. Jindal said the state's helmet law, which has strong support from public health and safety advocates, is an economic drain on the state because it makes some motorcyclists avoid Louisiana. The bill had been scheduled for debate this morning in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, but it was postponed.
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