Legislative session kept local delegation busy

A new state agency to look after the needs of elders, changes in how seafood is marketed and greater ease for waterfront businesses to have trespassers prosecuted are among the victories local legislators can crow about now that the 2013 Regular Session has come to an end.

A law that would give greater transparency to the governor’s office operations is among the measures local lawmakers attempted to move forward but which failed.

Interviews with lawmakers indicate that major victories in the area of coastal restoration are claimed by the local delegation as a whole, and in that respect all appear to agree that the winners are local residents, business owners and government entities that serve them.

“I’m very proud of our delegation as a whole,” said state Rep. Gordon Dove, R-Houma “We were able to get Morganza money along with other money and I am especially proud of our two senators getting approvals for Morganza money on the Senate side … $24 million is a lot of money to go ahead with.”

Dove also noted the successful efforts of himself and other legislators to get money from fines charged against BP for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill directed into Terrebonne Parish.

“That was our shining moment,” he said. “We have $130 million for Whiskey Island out of the criminal fines. We are getting one-third of that money with five parishes chasing it.”

Rep. Lenar Whitney’s attempt to create prestige license tags did not make it out of House committee; neither did her attempt at redefining and streamlining regulations for charter schools. Once charter school vouchers were declared constitutional by the Louisiana Supreme Court the point became moot, Whitney said.

She succeeded, however, in pushing through a local bill aimed at having the Terrebonne Parish Clerk of Court act as jury commissioner.

Working with Gov. Bobby Jindal’s tax reform plans, which were withdrawn, was a satisfying experience, too, Whitney said.

“Most of this session was consumed by the budget and expansion of Medicaid,” she said, noting her opposition to the expansion.

“The state is not in a position where we can take on that responsibility at this time. The budget got balanced through more constitutional measures and we didn’t raise taxes to balance the budget.”

For state Sen. Norby Chabert, a bill allowing up to $2.5 million in tax credits for qualifying projects of port commissions is seen as a victory. Likewise, a bill expanding the purchasing authority for levee districts without the need for competitive bids was seen as a win.

One of the more controversial bills Chabert authored moves oversight of the Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board from the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to the office of the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, through Louisiana’s Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.

Some fishermen and current board members opposed the degree of oversight the new arrangement appears to create. However, Chabert maintains that there is no more oversight than already exists under the current Wildlife and Fisheries supervision. Jindal has signed the bill.

State Sen. Bret Allain, R-Bayou Vista, threw what appeared to be a red herring in the mix, a proposed outright ban on possession of red snapper in Louisiana on land and at sea.

He acknowledges that the purpose of doing so was to force federal regulators to take back a cut of Louisiana’s recreational snapper season to 9 days. With that accomplished and the bill withdrawn, Allain said, the fishing industry and recreational fishing interests came out ahead.

Another Allain bill that saw success was the elimination of requirements that waterfront businesses have 5-foot fences before they can prosecute for trespassing.

Businesses with water access, Allain said, have been unable to prosecute trespassers because of the fence requirement. The details of the new law have requirements that are less stringent.

Although he was not successful in an attempt to throttle down rates that Citizens Insurance charges homeowners, Allain said it was important that the issue was brought to public attention.

Rep. Dee Richard, I-Thibodaux, failed in an attempt to force the office of the governor to make more of its records public. Currently the Governor’s Office is able to keep communications between it and various executive agencies away from public eyes. Richard’s measure eliminating the loophole did not gain support.

State Rep. Joe Harrison, R-Napoleonville, was successful in creating a Department of Elderly Affairs, and while there are still some kinks to be worked out on the practical end, he is proud to see it become a reality.

“Louisiana will take a leadership role in defining how state’s focus their services on this critical segment of our population,” he said.