Bills to Watch at this Year’s Legislative Session

 Gov. Bobby Jindal, in what is expected to be a somewhat grim address, will lay out his priorities for  2010 at the legislative session, which begins at noon today.

Nearly 2,000 bills — running the gamut from thoughtful to much-needed to just plain goofy — have been filed. Among some of the highlights — bills to eliminate red light cameras, that call for a life sentence for twice-convicted child molesters, impose zero tolerance for school bus drivers convicted of a DWI, and nullify the recently-passed federal health care reform.

Because this is an even year, leges cannot address taxation issues, but that does not mean that finances won’t weigh heavily during this session as the house and senate try to cut and paste together a $24.2 billion budget with the state facing a projected $1 billion shortfall.

Acadiana legislators have filed some worthwhile bills, and a few that make some ask, “if this is the circus, then where are my peanuts?”

One of the session’s most talked about bills comes from Sen. A.G. Crowe, R-Slidell. He has filed a bill that seeks to nullify health care reform passed by Congress, claiming it is unconstitutional.

And, though I am doubtful, perhaps this is the year that Rep. Wayne Waddell succeeds at garnering support for his bills that would open the governor’s office to the same Sunshine Laws that Jindal sought for legislators.

At least two bills by Acadiana leges address the safety of children on public school buses. One just happens to throw away that annoying little phrase, “innocent until proven guilty,” while another one actually tackles the problem head on without much fanfare.

The first, HB 104 by Rep. Rickey Hardy, requires any driver who is arrested for a DWI to remain in jail 48 hours after their arrest. Hardy’s bill is a response to the recent DWI arrest of Lafayette Parish school bus driver, Kenny Joseph Mire, who hopped on a bus and drove our children around barely two hours after he was released from jail. Mire has been charged with three DWIs over the last 10 years, but is yet to be convicted.

A more direct bill introduced by Rep. Nancy Landry, HB 1170, would prohibit commercial driver’s license holders from operating school buses after a single DWI conviction. In other words, one and you’re done. Landry told The Rom Report on Saturday that, “when it comes to our kids’ safety … there should be no second chances.”

While Hardy’s DWI bill is somewhat convoluted, many of his bills make so much sense they stand next to no chance of passing (sarcasm intended). Among Hardy’s better efforts:

• HB 988 would end benefits to welfare recipients who do not vote.
• HB 431 would require twice-convicted child molesters to serve a life sentence. 
• HB 101 would, with voter approval on a Constitutional amendment, impose term limits on District Attorneys, Judges and Sheriffs.

But Hardy’s DWI bill is not the only one he’s authored that strikes at our Constitutional rights. In addition to holding those charged with DWI for 48 hours, he also wants to prohibit anyone charged with a felony from being released on their own recognizance — a bill that, interestingly enough, would hurt those not flush with cash, i.e., many of his constituents.

Rep. Joel Robideaux’s agenda is quite modest this year –  he has introduced a handful of bills looking to tweak the State Employees’ Retirement System and limit insurance payouts to some judicial retirees.

Rep. Jeff Arnold of New Orleans is hot on the tail of those behind the proliferation of red light cameras in Louisiana. Arnold, via HB 160 and three other bills, urges fellow leges to turn out the lights on red light cameras and speed van companies like RedFlex.

Of the four bills Arnold proposes, I strongly support HB 159, which would return “due process” to a system that currently forces people to pay their tickets before they can appeal.

Rep. Landry has some other worthwhile, if not earth-shattering bills, on the agenda as well, including:

• HB 315 criminalizes the act of giving false information to law enforcement officers trying to serve a protective order.
• HB 1025 requires school boards to provide written notification to parents one year prior to implementing new or changing existing school dress codes.
• HB 1146 eliminates a ridiculous guarantee to free civil counsel for deadbeat parents engaged in an intra-family adoption squabble.

Other nonsensical bills include:

• A bill filed by state Senate President Pro-tem Sharon Broome, SB 528, is designed to shame women into not having an abortion. The bill would require anyone seeking to have an abortion — do they still provide abortions in Louisiana? — to have an ultrasound prior to terminating the pregnancy. 
• Rep. Walker Hines’ HB 201 would create what I call a new “pet offender registry,” that is, it would require people convicted of animal cruelty to register with law enforcement for 10 years or face jail time. 
• Rep. Hardy’s HB 470 would prohibit anyone over 70 from running for elective office. It’s at least worth a laugh over the next couple of months, and we’ll need a few of those as leges try to pare $1 billion of the budget. 

Now, you will notice that I left out some biggies here — such as Jindal’s effort to eliminate the Lieutenant Governor’s position and the debate over Higher Education funding. Well, I’ll leave that to the so-called big boys to debate for now. I will, in time, tackle those issues when I have more room to afford them.