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Story Archives: Infrastructure, tax cuts to highlight second special session


Infrastructure, tax cuts to highlight second special session
by Michael DeVault - posted Wednesday, March 5th, 2008 @ 7:17 pmE-mail Story E-mail Story | Print Story Print Story 
Roads, bridges and waterways will be on the minds of area legislators when they convene Sunday in Baton Rouge for a second special legislative session in a month.

Gov. Bobby Jindal issued his call for the special session Tuesday. He outlined proposals to cut taxes on business and industry and plans to spend to some $1 billion in surplus funds left over from the 2006-07 fiscal year.

The session is expected to last two weeks. It was called on the heels of the recently completed special session dealing with ethics reform.

State Sen. Bob Kostelka said he expected legislators to focus heavily on infrastructure improvements. He said lawmakers will discuss possible one-time expenditures from a projected $1.088-billion surplus.

Kostelka pointed out that in Ouachita Parish most local funding is used as matching funds for the federal highway program. That leaves more than 6,000 miles of rural roads in need of funding, Kostelka said.

"That's why we need to dedicate a lot of this non-recurring money to improving roads and ports," Kostelka said.

Kostelka also said he expected ports to become a top funding priority around the state.

Among the 12 items listed in the governor's call for a special session were proposed tax reforms for business and franchise taxes.

While campaigning for governor, Jindal took aim at what he called unfair taxes on businesses and vowed to speed up elimination of the state's taxation of business and manufacturing equipment.

"All those were voted to be taken off over seven years under Gov. Blanco," Kostekla said. "Gov. Jindal has expressed an interest in hastening the elimination of those taxes."

State Sen. Mike Walsworth called Louisiana's business taxes "pretty onerous" and said he looked forward to speeding up their elimination.

"I'm hoping that we'll go in there, do our job and do it very quickly," Walsworth said. "We're all on the same path."

Also included in the special call was a proposal to grant tax credits to families who home school their children or with children in private school.

State Rep. Rosalind Jones called a proposed individual tax credit for parents of home schooled or private schooled "somewhat surprising, though not entirely."

Jones said she first heard Jindal's proposal discussed at the governor's budget meeting Friday.

"Education of a child is probably one of the most important decisions a parent can make," Jones said. "I definitely understand each parent's desire to give their children the best education possible."

Jones said she was concerned, though, because cuts to the state's educational expenses from the general fund typically put higher education at risk.

"I am concerned that public school education remain fully funded," Jones said. "While I want every parent to have the opportunity to see their child educated in the manner they desire, I don't want that to happen at the expense of public schools."
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