PAR report says session low on reform, high on pay

• By WILL SENTELL
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Jun 25, 2008 - Page: 4A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Despite earlier promises, the 2008 regular legislative session produced few reforms and even those were dwarfed by the pay raise lawmakers gave themselves, a report said Tuesday.

“The improvements that were made were overshadowed by the extravagant legislative pay raise members passed for themselves and the governor’s refusal to veto it,” the Public Affairs Research Council said in its post-session commentary.

PAR is a group that studies state government issues.

Lawmakers on Monday finished their first regular session since they and Gov. Bobby Jindal took office in January.

The legislative salary increase would boost the total pay package of lawmakers — including expense allowances — to about $60,000 on July 1 from about $38,000 now.

The report said that, during campaigns last year by Jindal and lawmakers, there was lots of talk about reform.

But no such sweeping changes came out of the session, especially in two key areas.

“The state’s monumental problems with health care and education were essentially left untouched,” the report says.

PAR said health-care changes were thought possible, especially since Jindal is former secretary of the state Department of Health and Hospitals. Jindal also is a former president of the University of Louisiana System.

Despite modest gains in accessibility and health budgeting, “these measures didn’t even scratch the surface of the hard shell protecting the state’s antiquated and inefficient charity hospital system,” or the needs of 800,000 uninsured residents, the report says.

PAR’s review also said that a $10 million Jindal plan to allow up to 1,500 New Orleans public school students to attend private schools “may be effective but does nothing to improve the performance of public schools.”

The study said state spending plans will include nearly $35 million for 599 local legislative priorities, generally known as pet projects.

A bill to make the Sazerac the official cocktail of New Orleans and a resolution aimed at requiring punished public school students to wear “hot pink jumpsuits” while doing custodial work are other time-consuming signs of politics as usual, PAR says.