A House committee has advanced one bill on the governor’s special session list. In a pyrrhic victory for Hammond Representative Chris Broadwater, the House Ways and Means committee favorably reported his version of the repeal of the SAVE Act.
“I could give the same speech that I used to pass this bill last session, and use it right now, asking you to repeal it,” Broadwater said in presenting HB 2 for consideration, referring to his memorable plea on the House floor, the final day of the 2015 session.
Now, as then, there’s no actual money involved.
On the other side of the Capitol, the Senate Finance committee moved forward with two items on the governor’s agenda.
“This essentially provides for the utilization of the Budget Stabilization Fund, also known as the Rainy Day Fund,” said New Orleans Senator J.P. Morrell of the concurrent resolution, which will fill in $128-million of the current budget hole. The committee also okayed a bill to change how the state will use some of the BP money.
“This is a redirection of the $200-million payment that is coming from BP, as a result of the economic damage to the state,” Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne explained, noting these aren’t coastal restoration funds.
The Senate is limited in what they can initiate in this special session, since all revenue-raising bills are constitutionally required to start in the House. Still, Senate President John Alario observed, “We’re trying to do our best and cooperate, and move this thing along.”
The House doesn’t seem to have the same sense of urgency. In fact, members of the House Appropriations committee have spent hours grilling administration staff over potential cuts. Covington Representative John Schroder summed up the apparent strategy in yesterday’s hearing.
“There’s no reason in the world we should have to raise revenue. They ought to be able to go find that money. Go find it someplace.”