Despite adjourning early Thursday for the Easter holidays, the Louisiana Legislature made critical decisions concerning several issues during the first three days of its sixth week.
Higher Education Financing Bill Passed by House Committee
The House Appropriations Committee passed Rep. Jerome Richard’s HB 142 Tuesday, which would cut 10 percent of all state contracts and redirect the money to a special fund for higher education.
Richard said the bill, opposed by the Jindal administration, is the same proposal suggested a few months ago by State Treasurer John Kennedy. Kennedy purported the plan would could save up to $528 million for higher education funds.
Student Government speaker pro tempore Trey Schwartzenburg is in support of the bill.
“Rep. Richard is a huge supporter of higher education and a huge ally of LSU in the legislature,” Schwartzenburg said in March.
Heroin Penalties Approved by Judiciary Committee
A Louisiana judiciary committee unanimously approved a bill Tuesday by Sen. Dan Claitor of Baton Rouge that would increase the maximum amount of jail time for the possession or distribution of heroin to 99 years. The current maximum sentence for heroin use or sale in Louisiana is 50 years.
Criminology senior Ryan Smith was perplexed by the proposed change in penalties. “That’s definitely too much,” Smith said. “It’s not a violent crime.”
Gun Bills Fail
The House Criminal Justice Administration Committee rejected a bill Wednesday that would allow teachers to wield firearms in schools. The committee also refused to approve a bill that would require the taking of mandatory safety courses before purchasing a gun. HB 13, by Rep. Austin Badon, would have imposed fines on gun salespeople who peddled weapons to buyers without authentication of the completion of a firearms safety or training course from the purchaser.
Sodomy Legislation Killed
Rep. Patricia Smith’s HB 12, which would eliminate the state’s unconstitutional anti-sodomy statutes, failed on the House floor Tuesday by a margin of 39 votes. A total of 66 representatives voted to preserve the unenforceable law, which criminalizes sodomy, on state records.