AFP-Louisiana Calls for Legislature to Sine Die

Jun 2, 2018 by AFP

BATON ROUGE, La. – Americans for Prosperity-Louisiana (AFP-LA) released a statement Saturday calling for the legislature to pass a budget and sine die, concluding that a reasonable compromise that benefits Louisianans could not be reached. The statement comes after Governor Edwards notified the legislature his veto of two bills; HB 321 and HB 229, that would have increased transparency of how taxpayer dollars are used after they are appropriated.

Also factoring in the group’s decision to call for an end to the special session was the Senate’s vote to send back a package of tax bills to House that includes more tax increases on top of the already House-approved sales tax increase. AFP-LA opposed the House’s plan to increase the sales tax, labeling it a “pattern of tax hikes devoid of any promised reform” and continues to be against any new taxes, favoring a pro-growth approach that addresses our fundamentally broken tax code.

AFP-LA State Director John Kay issued the following statement:

“Governor Edwards’ vetoes of House Bills 229 and 321 demonstrate an unwillingness to be open and accountable, which should make legislators stop and say, ‘enough is enough.’ These bills would have drastically increased transparency and given lawmakers the information needed to comply with his administration’s demands to put legislator names on specific cuts.

“The Governor’s actions have signaled that he’d rather continue the shell game he’s been playing with the legislature instead of being accountable to Louisianans. It’s outrageous to think appropriators may not know where they are sending taxpayer dollars. With an even worse bill moving in the Senate, the responsible move at this point would be for the legislature to pass a budget and Sine Die as soon as possible with a message to Governor Edwards stating another special session isn’t welcomed.”