BATON ROUGE — Let us … make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification (improvement). Romans 14:19.

The key scripture with Wednesday’s “Upper Room” devotional is especially fitting for the current state of affairs at the Louisiana Legislature. When a rock-solid Republican conservative lawmaker complains about the fiscal session’s lack of leadership, you know the lawmaking stalemate is at a critical juncture.

Rep. Barry Ivey, R-Central, has been working on tax reform for the last six months, but even his GOP colleagues don’t seem to be interested. Ivey expressed his frustrations on the House floor and at one point said he wouldn’t come to a special session if one is called to do what hasn’t been done this session.

Ivey saw the handwriting on the wall even before explaining one of his reform bills. It would have established a flat corporate income tax.

“We’re not actually focused on trying to solve our fiscal cliff or our tax reform problems,” Ivey said. “If you’re not interested in solving problems, this bill will fail.”

His prediction was right on. The bill got 58 yes votes, but it needed two-thirds (70) because it is a proposed constitutional amendment.

Ivey summed up the current legislative situation in an interview with Tyler Bridges, a writer for The Advocate.

“There’s been a lack of leadership on the 4th floor (the governor’s office) and the first floor to come together to get the comprehensive reform we need,” Ivey said. “The governor hasn’t led. No one in this chamber (House) has led in trying to get bipartisan reform.”

When Ivey says no one has led in the House, that is a criticism of his own Republican Caucus that has firm control with 61 of the House’s 105 members. There are 41 Democrats and 3 independents.

Thanks to political retribution threatened by organizations like the ultra-conservative Americans for Prosperity, many Republican legislators live in constant fear of retaliation at the next election. They are targets of constant mailers, their constituents are visited by door-to-door critics and the organization even sends spokesmen to gasoline stations telling customers a higher gasoline tax might be in their future.

One legislator called Americans for Prosperity a political terror group. Its tactics are working and those voters who buy into the organization’s operations are spreading the word on Facebook and other social media websites. Trying to reason with anyone has become virtually impossible.

Many citizens seem convinced the state has plenty of money, but just doesn’t spend it well. Republicans in the House definitely believe that is the case. They have approved a state budget that cuts health care, prison spending, medical training, higher education, mental health services and public hospitals.

More and more taxpayers believe there are many people who are freeloaders looking for a handout or those who don’t want to work even though they are able. Reality proves those are wildly exaggerated beliefs as evidenced by the facts and public testimony held by legislative committees every year.

Those who depend on the state for vital services, particularly in the field of health care, come to Baton Rouge every year pleading their cases. Here is now The Advocate described the Senate Finance Committee’s recent public hearings:

“For eight hours, the panel heard the often emotional stories of everyday individuals from all walks of life who depend on services that legislators are looking to eliminate or reduce dramatically. Most witnesses described their daily struggles from handling family members with disabilities, mental health problems and seniors — often passing back and forth a box of tissues placed on the testimony table by Senate staff.”

Despite the annual pleas for help, Republicans in the House seem firmly convinced the budget of the state Department of Health is much too large. They cut its budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 by $235 million.

The proposed budget is now in the Senate where changes are expected. However, Sen. Eric LaFleur, D-Ville Platte and chairman of the Finance Committee, said he knows adding dollars back into the budget bill may be unacceptable by the House.

House Republicans believe their cuts to the budget go halfway in erasing an expected $1.3 billion budget deficit coming July 1, 2018. Since they refuse to raise additional revenues now, one has to assume they believe the other half will either come with more reductions or the state will be flush with cash next year.

The GOP has put off reform over the last nine years, believing finances would improve but they have only gotten worse.

Another factor is at work here. Many Republicans in the Legislature and in their state party’s hierarchy are dogged and determined to ensure that Gov. John Bel Edwards, the only Democrat in statewide office, isn’t re-elected in 2019. It is unfortunate they have put party interests above their state’s best interests.

A legislative session with a primary goal of reforming the state’s budget and tax systems is coming to a close failing to come even close to getting the job done. Even the future of the state budget is in doubt at this late hour.

If it weren’t for criminal justice reform, a truly bipartisan effort that appears to be succeeding, the session could be considered a complete failure. It is indeed a sad commentary on the times in which we live.

State CapitalMGN Online