State Rep. LeBas summarizes legislative session

State Representative Bernard LeBas said the state’s budget is causing him concerns; and that includes how much income the state receives and how it allocates what does come in.
Although there is generally believed to be a healthier level of economic activity in the state, creating “high-paying jobs,” but “tax collections are flat.” He said he thinks the reason is the high amount of tax breaks the state allows for new or existing business and industry.
The result is “there is not enough to go around” to pay for necessary infrastructure, he said. One example is the $60 million allocated to the state police from gas tax funds. He said he supports providing the state police with the funding it needs, but those funds should come from the general fund.
Meanwhile, the roads in the state, which the gas tax was intended to use to pay for improvements, continue to deteriorate. He said about $12 billion is needed to improve state highways. The result is the Jindal administration is “shifting money around,” to make essential improvements. “That is no way to run a business,” LaBas said.
LaBas said he and other legislators joined to advance the causes of support for the Acadiana Crime Lab and for rice production and promotion, and that while the Legislature spent time considering common core education standards, issues such as that will probably have to be resolved in the courts.
“In the closing minutes,” of the legislative session, LaBas said, the Legislature passed a proposed state constitutional amendment that people will consider, among others, during the November 4 elections. He said Act 874 would allow the number of executive branch departments to increase from 20 to 21. The legislators intended to create a new Department of the elderly, if the amendment passes, with it’s own budget. He said programs to assist the elderly have been absorbed by other departments “like an orphan.”
Legislators considered almost 2,000 bills during the legislative session, including a $24.6 billion general appropriation bill.
Representative LeBas sent a review of legislation passed during the regular session to constituents.
Among the health and safety issues legislators debated were restrictions on smoking, something that the Evangeline Parish Police Jury tackled earlier this year, after jurors received complaints from the public about people smoking in front of the courthouse entrance.
The state Legislature passed a bill restricting smoking within 25 feet of the entrance of a state-owned office building. It also restricted smoking within 200 feet of a public or private elementary or secondary school.
Legislators passed a bill that classifies cigarette butts as litter and assesses a fine of $300 to a first-time offender who throws a cigarette butt out his or her car window. Also, legislators passed a bill that prohibits the sale to minors of alternative products, such as “e-cigarettes” or other vapor products.
In other health and safety issues, legislators passed a bill that prohibits people 18 or younger, with or without the presence of a parent or legal guardian, from using tanning beds.
The Legislature also passed a bill prohibiting spending public assistance at certain establishments, such as liquor stores, casinos or tattoo salons.
The legislators passed several bills affecting education, including a limitation on the collection and handling of information about students, and allowing parents who have students in poorly performing schools to move them to better performing schools, regardless of residency. The Legislature also set a special designation on diplomas for high school students who have shown proficiency in a foreign language.
Among bills passed by the Legislature addressing domestic violence was criminalizing possession of a gun by someone who has had a protective order issued against him or her. The legislators also upgraded certain domestic abuse as a crime of violence and increased penalties for violation of those crimes. The Legislature streamlined the process of making an entry into the state’s protective order registry and makes issuance of a protective order grounds for divorce.
The legislators passed bills affecting the state’s criminal justice system. One expunges certain felonies -- other than violent or sexual offences -- after 10 years of and expunges certain misdemeanor convictions after five years. Another bill passed that would raise the maximum punishment for the distribution of heroin from 50 to 99 years in prison.
Legislators passed a bill extending the time a state driver’s license is valid from four to six years. Another bill increases the penalties for failing to have liability automotive insurance and for giving false documentation and for failure to provide proof of insurance.
Legislators also passed the “Personal Online Account Privacy Protection Act,” that prohibits employers or schools from demanding online accounts such as social media or emails.
The Legislature also passed a bill intended to make it easier for members of the military or their spouses who are injured or hospitalized due to service-related causes to terminate a residential lease.