Relief, anger linger in wake of veto

Gov. Bobby Jindal on Monday vetoed the legislative pay raise bill that would have doubled lawmakers’ annual pay.

After signaling that he would not veto the measure, SB 672, Jindal and lawmakers who supported the bill encountered massive public backlash and recall drives to remove them from office.

“I clearly made a mistake by telling the Legislature that I would allow them to handle their own affairs,” Jindal said at a press conference announcing the veto.

“I would have hoped the governor would have come up with a solution instead of just vetoing the bill,” said state Rep. Joe Harrison, who represents St. Mary, Terrebonne and Assumption parishes. “There were legislators sleeping in their cars. That’s a sad situation when we allow ourselves not to recognize the seriousness of the situation.”

Most Tri-parish lawmakers voted for the divisive bill that would have increased their yearly pay from $16,800 to $37,500.

Voting in favor of the bill were state Sens. Reggie Dupre (D-Houma) and Butch Gautreaux (D-Morgan City), as well as state Reps. Damon Baldone (D-Houma), Jerry Gisclair (D-Larose) and Harrison.

State Reps. Jerome Richard (no party-Thibodaux) and Sam Jones (I-Franklin) voted against the bill. Rep. Gordon Dove (R-Houma) was absent.

Reaction to Monday’s veto was mixed among local lawmakers.

“I’m more relieved than disappointed,” insisted Gautreaux, a key negotiator of the proposed legislative pay increase. “I just hope for future candidates, this doesn’t impede being able to develop new young candidates from qualifying for office.”

“I was fairly surprised,” Richard said. “I’m glad. I’m happy he did that. I think he did the right thing for the state of Louisiana.”

“When I had to vote on people getting $420,000 a year, it was supported by the administration,” Harrison asserted. “I think there’s some inequality there somewhere.”

Advocates for the bill said that working a special and regular session back-to-back means expenses far surpassed their pay scale.

“Most of the legislators, such as myself, voted for a raise to offset our expenses for living there (Baton Rouge) for the past six months and actually working six consecutive months,” said Harrison, who lived in an apartment during the sessions.

“Good God, who can afford to keep two households going and not be at your business to pay your first and primary one. I have three [district] offices. I pay for the other two (St. Mary and Terrebonne).”

The bill’s supporters also claimed that legislatives duties are more than part-time work, requiring a higher salary.

“The National Association of State Legislatures ranks us fifth in the time spent as a legislature,” Harrison said. “We’re what is called a ‘hybrid full-time legislature.'”

“It’s not a full-time job, but during session, it’s not a part-time job either,” Richard insisted. “If you think that way, the alternative is to raise the salary to a full-time job and let’s make everybody give up their real job and see who runs then.”

The bill would have also tied state legislators’ salaries to 30 percent of congressionally salaries. That would have meant future pay raises would not have to be voted on, but simply increased as Congress approves its own salary hike.

While congressional pay raises take effect with the next term, the increase passed by lawmakers would have begun during the current term.

“I was against doing it in this session,” Richard argued. “If you’re going to do a raise, start it in the next term so people who run will know ahead of time.”

Jindal initially was willing to allow passage of the controversial bill so lawmakers would not derail other reform measures later in the session. “I was trying to preserve our reform agenda and our momentum by tolerating this legislative pay raise that I knew was completely excessive,” he explained. “But the two cannot coexist.”

The Secretary of State’s Office reported a flood of requests for recall forms after the bill passed both houses. Newspaper editorials, talk radio hosts and their listeners ranted fiercely about the approved raise over the past several weeks.

“I think the governor and most of the legislators underestimated the public,” Richard said. “He’s the governor; he needed to show leadership, and I think he’s doing that right now.”

Others suggest that the media overstated the perks and benefits state legislators get, helping to inflame public fury.

“I don’t get free housing. There’s no retirement plan for me; there’s no additional funds or free car, as was said,” Harrison said.

“I wished someone would have printed something following the real workings of a legislator, so people would [have] understood there is no part-time.”

Jindal pleaded with lawmakers to direct their resentment toward him personally, not the future reform efforts he plans to lead.

“I know that some of the legislators are going to be upset that I broke my word to them to stay out of their business,” he said. “But I am asking them to take out their anger on me – not on the people of Louisiana.”