UPDATE: sb672 scheduled to be heard and voted on by the house on friday 13 june 2008
By Caroline Mosesone the one hand, baton rouge, rino erich ponti is pushing his hb1312 to raise the mandatory automobile insurance premiums on over one million of louisiana's poorest drivers in a time when gasoline prices are already over $4.00 a gallon and the economy is in disarray. this slap in the face of louisiana's poor is also fully supported by central louisiana's own ultra-liberal democrat and trial lawyer chris roy, jr. (a move that other trial lawyers actually thanked god for, so that should tell you who the bill really benefits) representative roy even went so far as to file his own bill -- hb1291.
excerpt:
BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Legislators are even closer Wednesday to tripling their pay. They passed the bill out of the Senate to raise their base pay from $16,800 to about $50,000 a year. Wednesday morning, that bill flew through a House committee and is headed to the House floor.
House members voted for their own pay raises, like Tuesday night, in record time with little debate. The pay raise bill would normally not be up for debate until later this week on the House side, but some legislators are pushing to get it passed as quickly as possible.
Senator Ann Duplessis of New Orleans is sponsoring the bill.
Legislators would start getting that extra pay this July. Representative Erich Ponti of Baton Rouge voted FOR the raise in committee Wednesday. Only four committee members voted against the bill. ~ read more
Here’s how the committee voted when it approved the pay raise bill.
Voting FOR the pay raise (13): Chairman Gallot and Reps. Pat Connick, R-Harvey, Greg Cromer, R-Slidell, Noble Ellington, D-Winnsboro, Brett Geymann, R-Lake Charles, Cameron Henry, R-Jefferson, Girod Jackson, D-Marrero, Rosalind Jones, D-Monroe, Tony Ligi, R-Kenner, Charmaine Marchand, D-New Orleans, Erich Ponti, R-Baton Rouge, Steve Pugh, R-Ponchatoula, and Mert Smiley, R-St. Amant.
Voting AGAINST the pay raise (4): Reps. Taylor Barras, D-New Iberia, Mike Danahay, D-Sulphur, Richard, and Jane Smith, R-Bossier City.
NOT VOTING (2) Reps. Karen Peterson, D-New Orleans, and Wayne Waddell, R-Shreveport. Baton Rouge Advocate, June 12, 2008. ~ more...see 'repubs drive lege pay raise'
