The 2013 Louisiana Legislative Session: What Did We Gain?
The 2013 Louisiana legislative session ended this evening (Thursday, June 6th). It was not the surprise attack of 2012, a time when both House and Senate majorities seemed bent upon unquestioningly bowing to Jindal in his efforts to blindside traditional public education. To my knowledge, there was no locking teachers out of the Capitol this year or demanding that teachers who wished to testify openly declare that they were choosing to be absent from the classroom, an effort to humiliate those wishing to participate in the democratic process.
It was a better session, one in which many legislators asked critical questions before voting. In general, the House Education Committee and the House in general are tired of reformer nonsense. The Senate Education Committee still has a majority kissing the Jindal hindside. Not so much from the Senate in general, but I don’t think they were tired of Jindal to the degree that the House was.
This is progress, folks.
It was a better session, one in which many legislators asked critical questions before voting. In general, the House Education Committee and the House in general are tired of reformer nonsense. The Senate Education Committee still has a majority kissing the Jindal hindside. Not so much from the Senate in general, but I don’t think they were tired of Jindal to the degree that the House was.
This is progress, folks.
COMPASS
Let me begin with COMPASS. HB 160, an effort to delay the application of COMPASS for one year, made it though the House Ed Committee and the House but died by a 4 – 3 vote in the Senate Ed Committee. HB 160 was then amended and attached to HB 129, but HB 129 was not addressed. So, for now, we still have