By JIM SMILIE
Louisiana House of Representatives Speaker Pro Tempore Mike Johnson said he is tired of Louisiana being ranked among the worst states.
“There’s no reason to sugar coat it,” Johnson told members of the Rotary Club of Alexandria Tuesday during their lunch meeting at Alexandria Convention Hall. “In my 65 years of living, we’ve been 50th in so many things,” he said, citing education, highways, economic development and other categories. “We have a unique opportunity to change our state. It’s time we’re not an outlier.”
Johnson, the State Representative for District 27 since 2019, said the state Legislature, which met for the past six months with two special sessions as well as the regular session, took a number of steps he believes will put the state on a path to improvement. “I think we accomplished a lot, but we just scratched the surface,” he said.
One of the main things Johnson focused on was the creation of the Central Louisiana Delegation Caucus, which brings together representatives of Central Louisiana in the House and the Senate to work together for the benefit of the region.
Johnson said the caucus has 13 members and that many are now in key leadership positions. He specifically mentioned members in leadership roles in committees for insurance, health and welfare, finance, judiciary, labor and appropriations. “Having members in leadership positions in finance and appropriations is critical,” Johnson said. “We do a lot of lawmaking, but it comes down to if you can get the funding.”
Many of the bills the Legislature passed involved making changes to bring Louisiana more in line with what other states are doing. That was especially true in the case of insurance matters. “We passed 38 bills addressing insurance,” Johnson said. “We looked at the things that were different and looked at what other states do that have lower insurance and we tried to get more like them.’
Crime was another area that was addressed and was the sole focus of a special session held ahead of the regular session. Johnson said New Orleans, which has been listed as one of the most dangerous cities not just in the United States, but in the world, was specifically addressed with Governor Jeff Landry planning a police troop specific to the Cresent City.
Johnson said many of the crime-related bills were designed to ensure that criminals get appropriate jail time and that they do their sentence. “For too long, the rights of the criminals have been put ahead of the right of citizens,” Johnson said.
Legislation was also approved to treat 17-year-old offenders as adults, a move Johnson said he supports. “17-year-olds aren’t like they were when I was young,” he said. “Now, if you do an adult crime, you will get an adult punishment.”
Johnson said the parole system was also addressed. “If you are on parole you will need to keep your nose clean. We don’t want repeat offenders doing repeat crimes,” he said.
Other areas Johnson highlighted included education and economic development. A bill signed this week by Gov. Landry reorganizes the Louisiana Office of Economic Development (LED) and creates an advisory committee of public citizens and business people to offer their input. In education, Johnson noted the creation of Education Savings Accounts (ESA). “I believe that if you pay tax dollars you should have a say in where your kids go to school,” he said.
Johnson quickly listed a number of areas that received funding in the hopes of making needed improvements, including $1.3 billion to the Department of Transportation and Development for roads and bridges, $1.2 million to help cover the cost of incarcerating teen offenders, $17.5 million to attract teachers to fill hard-to-fill positions, $94.3 million for deferred maintenance on state higher education facilities, $41.7 million for faculty incentives and improvements and $4 million for a summer feeding program.
“It sounds like we’re spending money like a drunken sailor, but we’re not,” Johnson said. “We’re making cuts too. And we’ll need to cut more next year as we expect a revenue shortfall.”
Citing the anticipated revenue decline, Johnson said that’s one reason the state needs to hold a Constitutional Convention. The House approved a convention proposal, but ultimately no convention has been set as of now. Johnson noted that under the current state constitution, budget cuts are limited to narrow areas, primary education and healthcare.
Johnson said he is optimistic positive changes are coming based on his interactions with Gov. Landry. “I work with the Governor on a daily basis,” Johnson said. “He is one of the most high-energy, passionate, driven people I’ve met,” he said, adding it’s not uncommon for the Governor to call as early as 5:30 a.m. and as late as 11 p.m.
“We’ve begun the task of making a new Louisiana,” Johnson said. “One that’s not 50th and one that our kids won’t want to move away. I have no inclination at my age to be last anymore. We can’t continue to accept mediocrity.”