| Good Morning, Louisiana senators have been carping at representatives for not hearing their bills – and vice versa. But with five weeks left before the June 6 adjournment the legislative logjam is about to start moving. A bill to rollback “Raise the Age” – a much ballyhooed law that treated most 17-year-old offenders as minors in court and punishment – is up for a vote today in the state Senate. A precipitous increase in crime, particularly among youth, has led some lawmakers to rethink the law they passed in 2016 and start sending some 17-year-olds to adult prisons. A bill to prohibit discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools – similar to the one in Florida that critics call “Don’t Say Gay” – is slated to be heard in House Education Committee this morning. And a ban on transgender athletes participating in sporting events, which passed the Senate, is scheduled for a hearing Wednesday in the House Education Committee. Culture wars legislation always attracts the most attention. But it’s the money that is the Louisiana Legislature’s prime objective in any annual session. This year the state’s treasury is flush with federal money to help recover from the pandemic coupled with a booming economy that has raised more revenue than expected. Still, lawmakers remember the last time when recovery from hurricanes Katrina and Rita led to profligate spending that the state could not sustain. In an emotional vote back in 2016, lawmakers approved a one-cent increase in the state sales tax to cover a nearly $1 billion shortfall. That amount was later lowered to .45 per cent – a little less than half a penny – that expires in 2025. Legislators are considering bills that would phase out that additional sales tax gradually to soften the loss of about $420 million in revenues when the money disappears in three years. Meanwhile, another bill is asking the state’s voters, again, to centralize the collection and distribution of state and local sales taxes. Though local taxing districts, whose authority to tax is written in the State Constitution, initially balked, they came around after negotiations and didn’t oppose another statewide referendum. Louisiana’s voters said no to centralized tax collections only five months ago. House Bill 681, which cleared the House on a 96-0 vote last week, would put the issue to the voters once more on Nov. 8 and, if approved, pave the way for a commission of state and local tax collectors to manage sales taxes instead of the current system of the state and local agencies acting independently. The measure is now before the Senate Revenue & Fiscal Affairs Committee. As always, check throughout the day for the latest Louisiana political news at theadvocate.com/politics or NOLA.com/politics and on Twitter at @MarkBallardCNB, @tegbridges, @samkarlin, @blakepater, @WillSentell. Here are a dozen articles, commentaries and editorials that will catch you up for the week to come. One last item: Thank you to our subscribers. Your support means a great deal to us. If you're not yet a subscriber, we’ve got a special offer you can check out here. – Mark Ballard | 