Next Up: Louisiana Legislature
Friends,
Last week was a truly powerful week here in New Orleans, with seven days of peaceful protests. I would like to thank the organizers for creating a space for us to come together as a city, including Take Em Down Nola, The New Orleans Peoples’ Assembly, and the New Orleans Workers Group. It was a moment to stop and reflect, learn and unlearn, and stand and march in solidarity. And now we have more work to do.
As President Obama said, this is not a matter of either protest or vote, this is a case of both/and:
“To bring about real change, we both have to highlight a problem and make people in power uncomfortable, but we also have to translate that into practical solutions and laws that can be implemented.”
We need to protest AND we need to vote, because real reform takes place at the local level. And in order to vote responsibly, we have to educate and engage—both ourselves and our networks.
So, in that spirit, let’s get to work.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
The 2020 Session has wrapped up and the special session has begun. The main point of the regular session was to deal with COVID and pass the budget, but that obvs didn’t happen. Instead, Speaker Clay Schexnayder (aka Schexy), who determines what kind of bills can and cannot be heard in any given session, prioritized gun rights, big business and tort reform at the expense of voting rights and transparency. There was a brief shining moment of bipartisan criminal justice reform, but most of the regular session was spent obsessing over tort reform, which ultimately got flubbed in the end (lolz), so it’s likely we’ll be hearing more about it in special session. Also, if you don’t know wtf tort reform is or how it’s related to car insurance (welcome to the club) Bayou Brief is a good place for a deep dive.
In Special Session, which ends on June 30th, the main goal will be to pass a budget that addresses the nearly billion dollar shortfall we’re currently facing. There is a lot of federal aid available to help plug holes, but there is also a push by Republicans to cut taxes—specifically HB 17 by Rep. Stuart Bishop, which would suspend the corporate franchise tax to the tune of $400M—that would harm the vital services that we need to fund now more than ever.
CALLS FOR VETO
There are a number of bills that have unfortunately made it to Governor Edwards’ desk. He has 10 days to either sign or veto these bills, so now is the time to email him and ask him to veto that sh*t!
Include this script in the “Your Comment” section:
Governor Edwards: please veto HB 197, HB 438, HB 846, HB 140, HB 781, HB 746, and HB 334. Not only are these bills not representative of the values of Louisiana, but they are actively harmful to the livelihoods of her people. We ask that you use your power of veto to protect all Louisianians. Thank you.
More info on bills:
HB 197 by Rep. Jerome Zeringue: This bill would criminalize free speech by making peaceful protest punishable by 3-15 years of imprisonment and “hard labor.” There is already a similar, less punitive measure in place, which was also unnecessary. This bill simply compounds the injustice.
HB 438 by Rep. Christopher Turner: This bill would make it easier to hold people in contempt of court for their inability to pay child support, representing the further criminalization of poor people in Louisiana.
HB 846 by Rep Mark Wright: tax breaks for businesses providing low wage jobs. It drains already scarce resources with no guarantee of health insurance, paid sick leave, retirement, or any other benefits for employees.
HB 140 by Rep. Blake Miguez: an extreme gun bill that takes power away from local governments to regulate guns for the good of their residents—like in public parks or bars.
HB 781 by Rep. Blake Miguez: Currently, the governor, a parish president, a chief executive of a municipality, and a chief LEO of a political subdivision have different authorities to suspend the sales, transportation, and use of firearms during declared emergencies. This bill would strip away this authority and would affirmatively declare firearm manufacturers and dealers as essential businesses that cannot be forced to close for any reason during an emergency.
HB 746 by Rep. Ray Garofolo: Allows a person to carry a concealed firearm without a permit while evacuating an area pursuant to an evacuation order during a state of emergency or declared disaster.
HB 334 by Rep. Bryan Fontenot: Allows concealed carry in churches.
*thank you to Julie Schwam Harris and the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice for compiling this information
REGISTER TO VOTE
Tomorrow (June 10th) is the last day to register to vote in person or by mail for the July 11 Louisiana Presidential Primary. Please go to geauxvote.com or download the Geaux Vote App for more registration info. Check out info on July 11th ballot here.
Important dates:
June 10: deadline to register to vote in LA presidential primary by mail/person
June 20: deadline to register online
July 7: deadline to request mail ballot
July 10: deadline for registrar to receive mail ballot
June 20-July 4: Early Voting
July 11: Election Day
2020 CENSUS
Completing the census brings desperately needed federal resources to Louisiana. It only takes 5 minutes to complete online, so get to it.
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Thank you for being here and for doing your part. This fight has many different fronts and this is one of them.
Louisianahbrah