Legislators manage to pass tort reform aimed at lowering auto insurance rates by ten percent but Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat believes Governor Edwards will veto the session’s signature bill. Edwards has long expressed concerns that the bill would not actually lower rates and was frustrated when the Legislature blocked efforts to prevent insurance rate discrimination on gender or class grounds.
The legislation did not pass with a veto-proof majority and Pinsonat says that may have doomed their effort, despite a mandate from voters to lower auto insurance rates.
Pinsonat says some of the lost support came from compromise changes made over the weekend.
Another piece of controversial legislation made it out of the Legislature in the last minutes of the session: a 300 million dollar grant program for small businesses funded with cash set aside to help local governments whose revenue was impacted by the shutdown. National Federation of Independent Business State Director Dawn Starns says with businesses still restricted the money is badly needed.
But New Orleans Representative Gary Carter opposed the grant program saying the Louisiana Congressional Delegation sent us that money to aid local governments.
Amite Representative Robby Carter says Louisiana businesses have already received 7 billion dollars in Payroll Protection Program funds…
If either of the bills are vetoed they could be overridden during this ongoing special session.