Legislative Session Update - Call for Action & REALTOR® Day
LOUISIANA REALTORS • May 10, 2017
No clear direction on Louisiana tax policy as Legislature reaches halfway point
Nola.com
The Louisiana Legislature's 2017 regular session
reaches its midpoint Tuesday (May 9) with no clear direction on how lawmakers will rewrite the state's tax
laws, if they can reach agreement at all. Some signs of progress emerged Monday as the House tax committee started advancing proposals for consideration, but without any promise that lawmakers on the committee would support the ideas on the House floor.
Out of more than 900 bills filed for the session, none has reached the governor's desk. Portions of Gov. John Bel Edwards'
legislative agenda have run into significant opposition, with his main tax bill already jettisoned.
The two-month session must end by June 8. Here's where things stand:
Tax overhaul
Edwards said a tax overhaul is needed to stabilize Louisiana's finances, end years of budget shortfalls and compensate for the expiration of $1.3 billion in temporary taxes in mid-2018. But the Democratic governor's main revenue-raising proposal, to charge a new tax on businesses' gross receipts, failed to gain any traction, and he's since shelved the idea.
Awaiting debate on the Senate floor are measures that would lessen tax breaks. But with most tax bills required to start in the House, senators have only modest work they can do.
House Republican leaders have yet to rally around a specific package of bills. On Monday, the House Ways and Means Committee started advancing measures to change laws governing corporate taxes, individual income taxes and various tax break programs. The panel didn't vote on concepts but simply forwarded them to the full House for consideration while negotiations continue behind the scenes.
State budget
Although House GOP leaders haven't embraced a specific plan for tax policy, they have adopted their approach to next year's more than $29 billion state operating budget. They propose to spend 2.5 percent less than the full forecast of what Louisiana is expected to collect in general state tax dollars, to hedge against concerns the forecast could come up short and force midyear cuts.
House Democrats and Edwards say leaving $235 million on the table could force damaging and unnecessary cuts across government in the fiscal year that begins July 1. Republicans say the Edwards administration is using scare tactics.
Almost all Democrats opposed the budget proposal approved by the House last week. Negotiations shifted to the Senate on Monday.
Governor's agenda
Beyond taxes, other Edwards-backed proposals appear to be in trouble. An effort to raise Louisiana's minimum wage hasn't yet received a hearing, and the governor's push for new equal pay laws in Louisiana hit a roadblock in the House labor committee, which killed one of his proposals. The full Senate will debate a second measure requiring private businesses to pay the same wages to men and women who perform the same work. But if it advances out of the Senate, it will head to the House labor committee.
Proposals to rewrite Louisiana's criminal sentencing laws, the goal being to lessen Louisiana's tops-in-the-U.S. incarceration rate, are advancing. But some already have been watered down amid resistance from district attorneys, and more revisions are expected.
Contentious debates
Besides financial haggling, lawmakers have embarked on other contentious debates:
· The House will debate a measure aimed at protecting Confederate monuments
by requiring voter approval before they could be removed from public property
· The Senate will consider whether to ban use of the death penalty
in Louisiana.
Some bills already have been shelved:
· The House voted down a bill to shorten the wait for a divorce when the married couple has children younger than 18.
· A House committee rejected a proposal to restore the voting rights of convicted felons on probation or parole
· Senators refused to require TOPS
students to live in the state for several years or reimburse Louisiana for part of their tuition costs
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Candidate qualifying for Louisiana’s November 3 election began Wednesday, August 5, and concludes Friday, August 7. The three-day qualifying period will establish the candidates for all six U.S. House districts, as well as judicial, parish and municipal races across the state. This election cycle includes several changes to Louisiana’s congressional races and election calendar. The state’s U.S. House primaries, originally scheduled for May 16, were canceled following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais. The Louisiana Legislature subsequently adopted a new congressional map that reduced the number of Black-majority congressional districts from two to one. Under the revised election calendar, the November 3 U.S. House contests will use an open primary system. All qualified candidates will appear on the November ballot, regardless of party affiliation. A candidate receiving more than 50% of the vote will be elected. If no candidate receives a majority, the two candidates receiving the most votes will advance to a December 12 runoff. U.S. Senate The November general election will feature Republican nominee U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow and Democratic nominee Jamie Davis. Letlow's Senate campaign has also created an open seat in Louisiana's 5th Congressional District. 5th Congressional District Several candidates have announced campaigns for the 5th Congressional District seat: State Sen. Stewart Cathey State Rep. Michael Echols Louisiana Board of Regents Chair Misti Cordell State Rep. Gabe Firment Cathey, Echols and Firment currently serve in the Louisiana Legislature. Additional candidates may qualify before the deadline on Friday. The 5th District covers portions of northeastern and central Louisiana and extends into the Florida Parishes. 6th Congressional District Congressman Cleo Fields has announced that he will not seek reelection in the newly redrawn 6th Congressional District. Instead, Fields is running in a special election for his former state Senate seat, which became vacant following the death of Sen. Larry Selders of Baton Rouge. The newly drawn 6th Congressional District extends around the Baton Rouge area and includes portions of rural communities surrounding the capital region. State Sen. Rick Edmonds has announced his candidacy. State Sen. Blake Miguez has also been discussed as a potential candidate, although the candidate field will not be finalized until qualifying closes Friday. Federal law requires congressional candidates to reside in the state they seek to represent but does not require them to reside within the specific congressional district. 2nd Congressional District Congressman Troy Carter currently represents the 2nd Congressional District, which extends from the Baton Rouge area toward New Orleans. Under the newly adopted congressional map, the 2nd District remains Louisiana's sole Black-majority congressional district. East Baton Rouge Parish Judiciary All 15 judgeships on the 19th Judicial District Court are scheduled for election following the Legislature's creation of two new judicial election subdistricts. Each subdistrict will elect seven judges, with an additional judgeship elected parishwide. Litigation challenging the new judicial map remains pending. Judicial races are among the contests being monitored by Louisiana REALTORS® and local Political Action Teams. Judicial decisions can have implications for property rights, business activity, litigation and the overall legal environment in Louisiana. Local Elections Voters across Louisiana will also consider candidates for mayors, city and parish councils, school boards, police chiefs and other local offices. While these races typically receive less statewide attention than congressional and statewide contests, local elected officials make decisions affecting land use, zoning, permitting, infrastructure, taxation and housing policy. These issues can directly affect real estate activity and development within local communities. Candidate Lists and Election Information The candidate field will not be final until qualifying closes Friday, August 7. The official list of qualified candidates is available through the Louisiana Secretary of State's Candidate Inquiry portal. The complete election schedule, including key dates for voting, registration and absentee ballots, is available through the Secretary of State's election calendar. For Louisiana REALTORS®, the qualifying period provides an early look at the candidates who will appear on the November ballot and the races that may affect real estate, property rights, development and local communities across the state.
The Louisiana REALTORS® Board of Directors will elect six (6) LR At-Large Directors at its October 1st meeting. Qualifications and an application for the position can be found below.
