A Look at The Legislature's Work & Priorities & Top Issues in 2008

By Rep. Eddie J. Lambert

May 30, 2008 in the Louisiana House of Representatives

As the 2008 Regular Legislative Session moves forward, I thought I would take a moment of your time to keep you informed of the recent work and important developments within the Legislature and state government.

 In the First Special Session of the Legislature, the Legislature adopted numerous changes and improvements to our Code of Governmental Ethics and to the laws regarding campaign finance.  Among the many improvements in our ethics laws:

             1 – Requiring yearly reporting by public officials, including legislators, the Governor’s high-ranking appointees, and other public officials, of their income, property holdings, some liabilities and certain other financial holdings.

             2 – The Governor’s office shall be required to create and maintain a publicly accessible website to post reports of all state government revenue and spending.  The website is set to debut in January 2009.

 In the Second Special Session, the Legislature made significant advances in reducing the tax burden on businesses in an effort to stimulate in-state businesses and to encourage outside businesses to locate in Louisiana.  The Legislature also took the first meaningful step in decades at investing large amounts of capital expenditures on improving our transportation infrastructure system.  Among the Legislature’s accomplishments:

             1 – Approving $500 million of surplus money for road, bridge, and highway construction and improvements.  Included in this sum is $24 million for improving state roads that are ineligible for federal highway money and $15 million for widening LA 73, US 61 to I-10 in Ascension Parish.

             2 – Approving $300 million for coastal restoration and levee improvements

             3 – Dedicating revenues from automobile sales taxes and motor vehicle license taxes on commercial trucks to the Transportation Trust Fund, to be used only for improving and expanding the state’s transportation infrastructure.  Within seven years, this dedication of funds is projected to increase the state’s transportation investment by $350 million annually.

             4 – More than $69 million in tax cuts on business utilities including electricity and natural gas and water and steam

             5 – Reducing the state sales and use tax on machinery by $4 million

             6 – Abolishing the state tax on corporate debt/capital, which should save Louisiana businesses an estimated $26 million/year.

             7 – Approving numerous child tax deductions for individual tax payers for private school tuition and expenses, for home schooling expenses, and for public school expenses, including the cost of uniforms, school books, school supplies, and other materials.  The deductions are limited to 50% of the total tuition or expense costs, at up to $5,000/child.

             Additionally, there are some issues that the Legislature is expected to address before the end of this session.  I would like your feedback and your opinion in regard to the following issues:        

            1 – Do you favor reducing the state income tax brackets to pre-“Stelly” levels, resulting in, at most, a $500 reduction in personal tax liability per year, or would you favor using that money for one-time expenditures, such as highway construction and maintenance, state debt retirement, and coastal preservation?

             2 – In the upcoming years, state government revenues may exceed the costs of recurring government services.  Would you rather see the Legislature rebate excess revenues to tax payers or would you rather see state government invest the extra revenue in large, mostly one-time projects, including road construction and upkeep, coastal restoration, and payments on the state’s debt? 

             Furthermore, I thought you might like to know of upcoming infrastructure improvements in and around Ascension Parish, which should begin in the upcoming fiscal year (after July 1):

             1 – Widening of Interstate 10 from the I-10/I-12 Split to Siegen Lane ($56 million)

            2 – La. 44 at Boyle Bayou, drainage improvements ($450,000)

            3 – U.S. 61 signal improvements ($4.75 million)

            4 – La. 934, from La. 44 to La. 431, road stabilization and overlaying ($1.4 million)

            5 – La. 44 signal improvements ($1.2 million)

             Please send me your comments and feedback to larep059@legis.state.la.us or eddie@eddielambert.com.  I appreciate your opinion and look forward to hearing from you.

Top Priorities for House District 59 in 2006

By Rep. Eddie J. Lambert

March 31, 2006 in the Louisiana House of Representatives

I wanted to take a moment to update all my friends and constituents on the top priorities I am pursuing for House District 59 and Ascension Parish.

The top priority is to get more money for highways, bridges, and other infrastructure improvements in Ascension Parish.  In order to secure more funding for construction projects, I have proposed two bills in the current Legislative Session, including a Constitutional Amendment, that would set aside more money for roads projects.  House Bills 646 and 647 would create the Highway Improvement Program Fund which would be funded by an accounting procedure based upon the projections of state revenues. The Highway Improvement Program Fund provides that for any upcoming fiscal year for which the official forecast exceeds the official forecast for the current fiscal year, the legislature shall appropriate from the state general fund for the upcoming year an amount equal to 10% of the difference in the forecasts for the current year and the prospective year, for deposit into the Highway Improvement Program Fund which is created in the state treasury.  Furthermore, the monies in the fund shall be appropriated or dedicated solely and exclusively to fund the costs of maintenance and capacity improvements, including additional lanes and intersection improvements, of the roads and bridges of the state and federal highway systems.

In another bill that I have proposed, also a Constitutional Amendment, if the state's Rainy Day Fund exceeds its cap, 25% of the overflow would go into the Highway Improvement Program Fund.

I am trying my best to find ways of directing current state money to construction projects without raising taxes.  Our needs, such as Airline Highway, need to be funded. 

I have also filed bills to reduce expenditures for government publications in order to save state money and conserve resources.

TOPS Program Should Be Protected

By Rep. Eddie J. Lambert

March 30, 2006 in the Louisiana House of Representatives

There are several bills in the current Legislative Session that would drastically change the very successful TOPS Program.  Two bills, Senate Bill 330 and House Bill 1092, would make the TOPS Program a loan repayment program, requiring students to repay their TOPS money.  I am firmly opposed to these pieces of legislation and will do everything I can to keep the TOPS Program intact.

In addition, Senate Bill 280, which would restrict the TOPS Program to families that are at or below the federal poverty line.  I am adamantly opposed to this bill.