Legislative Session Ends – Jindal Basically Pleased

When you're the Governor of a state that traditionally performs near the bottom in most nationwide performance polls getting your way in the state legislature should be considered a victory. To many observers it seemed as Governor Jindal's only ambition in the legislative session that ended yesterday was to be able to say "we did not raise taxes". He got his wish.

Maybe that will in fact be a good thing but the jury is certainly still out on the SAVE tax credit that was passed in the 11th hour of the session. Gubernatorial candidate and Amite Representative, Democrat John Bel Edwards was not in favor of the SAVE tax credit.

We all should be like the three characters in the Wizard of Oz, lets get a little courage, lets get a brain, instead of heart, we'll get a spine and we'll do the right thing.

Meanwhile other Representatives took a different view of the tax credit. Claiming that the passage of the SAVE tax credit actually prevented the Governor's veto pen from wiping out all the achievements the session made.  Chris Broadwater, a Representative from Hammond said the SAVE tax credit prevented a devastating blow to higher education.

We will destroy it and we will have know ability to encourage business and industry to come to this state, knowing that we have the incapability of providing a trained workforce

Many legislators felt that without the tax credit a giant 282 million dollar cut in funding for higher education would be the only chance to balance the budget.

So what did Governor Jindal have to say about the session and how it all worked out?

If you look at the multiple bills the legislature approved, we will be able to sign a balanced budget that does indeed invest in higher education, health care and does not increase a net gain in taxes.

Again the comments of a Governor who got what he wanted, but was it what Louisiana really needed? I suppose only time will tell us for sure. Comments obtained for this article were reported in a story originally published by the Louisiana Radio Network.