<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: ‘Lucida Sans’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Can you decipher for the average person what the amendments that are coming up on the ballot mean? Why do they write it so that it’s difficult to know whether you really want to vote NO or YES?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The six proposed amendments as they will appear on the Nov. 8 ballot, followed by vote explanations from the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana:</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold;" class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">1. Do you support an amendment to provide that the manner of appointment for the registrar of voters in each parish is as provided by law and to require the qualifications of the registrar to be provided by law?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">Yes — “A vote for would require standards of professional and educational experience for local registrars of voters and more public disclosure in their hiring process.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">No — “A vote against would leave the existing job requirements in place and allow local governing authorities greater discretion when filling registrar vacancies.”</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold;" class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">2. Do you support an amendment to authorize the postsecondary education management boards to establish the tuition and mandatory fee amounts charged by institutions under their supervision and management, without legislative approval?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">Yes — “A vote for would let higher education management boards set annual tuition rates and fee amounts for colleges and universities without legislative approval.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">No — “A vote against would preserve the state Legislature’s authority over tuition and fee levels.”</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold;" class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">3. Do you support an amendment to eliminate the deductibility of federal income taxes paid in computing state corporate income taxes?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">Yes — “A vote for would eliminate the deduction for federal income taxes paid by corporations when calculating state income taxes while triggering a flat corporate tax rate of 6.5%.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">No — “A vote against would allow corporations to continue receiving a state income tax deduction for federal income taxes paid and allow the existing corporate tax rates and brackets to remain.”</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold;" class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">4. Do you support an amendment to authorize an exemption from ad valorem property tax for the total assessed value of the homestead of an unmarried surviving spouse of a person who died while on active duty as a member of the armed forces of the United States or the Louisiana National Guard, or while performing their duties as a state police, law enforcement, or fire protection officer?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">Yes — “A vote for would give surviving spouses of military, fire protection officers and law enforcement personnel who died while on duty a full property tax exemption on their home.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">No — “A vote against would leave existing ad valorem property tax exemption levels and eligibility requirements in place.”</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold;" class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">5. Do you support an amendment to establish the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund for the deposit of recurring mineral and corporate tax revenues, to restrict the use of the fund to 10% of the balance when the balance reaches $5 billion, to restrict the use of the fund to construction projects and transportation infrastructure, and to allocate recurring mineral revenues to the payment of state employee retirement debt?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">Yes — “A vote for would create the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund to receive a portion of revenues from corporate and mineral taxes and to spend the money on infrastructure and pension liabilities.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">No — “A vote against would continue to allow corporate tax and mineral revenue above a certain threshold to flow into the state general fund for appropriation by the legislature.”</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold;" class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">6. Do you support an amendment to authorize the use of up to five percent of current year appropriations or allocations from statutorily or certain constitutionally created funds or up to one percent of the current year’s balances in certain constitutionally created funds to eliminate a projected deficit in the next fiscal year if the official forecast for the next fiscal year is less than the official forecast for the current fiscal year or if the official forecast has been reduced by at least one percent from the most recently adopted estimate for the ensuing fiscal year, and to exempt certain funds and mandates from being used to eliminate a projected deficit?</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">Yes — “A vote for would provide legislators a new way to tap into constitutionally protected funds during revenue downturns and also extends protection to five existing funds.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">No — “A vote against would keep in place the existing trigger which allows the Legislature to tap into otherwise protected funds.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Under the Legislature’s Joint Rule No. 5, constitutional amendment proposals must be written “in clear, concise, and unbiased language” and be phrased as a question that begins with “Do you support an amendment to.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">For more information on the amendments, visit the Louisiana Secretary of State’s website or that of PAR, which provides comprehensive explanations of each proposal.</span>

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<span style="font-weight: bold;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">Online:</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">www.sos.la.gov; http://parlouisiana.org; www.legis.la.gov.</span>

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<span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">The I</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">nform</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">er answers questions from rea</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">ders each Sunday, Monday a</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">nd Wednesday. It is re</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">searched and written by</span> <span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">Andrew Perzo</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">, an</span> <span style="font-style: italic; font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">American Press</span> <span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">staff wri</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">ter. To ask a question, call</span> <span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">494-409</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">8 and leave voice mail, or ema</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">il informer@americanpress.com.</span>