After more than a week of seat-numbing – and often mind-numbing – testimony on the revenue-raising measures, the House Ways & Means Committee acted on 36 bills Tuesday.
“It’s come to the point that the committee can take action on it as it sees fit,” Chairman Neil Abramson announced to begin the meeting.
Noting repeatedly that each bill had been given a full hearing previously, complete with public testimony, Abramson moved the measures with conveyor-belt efficiency.
As expected, some tax hikes found favor, like upping the rates on alcoholic beverages and smokers.
“This would impose an additional 22-cents per pack of cigarettes, bringing the total tax to $1.08 per pack,” HB 14 author Walt Leger said of his bill.
“I’ll move that we report House Bill 14 favorably,” Abramson said. “Any objection? Hearing none, HB 14 will be reported favorably.”
Other tax measures, such as removing the entire sales tax exemption for business utilities were a no-go.
“Non-residential electro power is taxable in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas,”Jack Montoucet said of his measure, HB 64. “So we’re not doing anything different.”
“And I want to report this bill unfavorable,” Oil City Rep. Jim Morris moved.
It was clear from the start that the disposition of each bill had been pre-orchestrated, with Morris or Abramson making all the motions on each bill’s advance or retreat. It was also clear that there was no consensus on the Governor’s major money measures.
“Members, I’ll move that we report House Bill 62 without action, with the recommendation that it be recommitted to the Committee of the Whole. Any objection?” Abramson said after Katrina Jackson summarized her bill for increasing state sales tax by a penny. “Hearing none, that motion passes.”
That means the bills to add a penny of state sales tax, to “clean” 2 cents of the current state sales tax, to change individual income tax rates and brackets, and to double the Earned Income Tax Credit do move to the full House for debate. It’s expected those, and the rest of the revenue-raisers advanced Tuesday, will be on the House floor to-do list for Thursday.