With the 2021 regular legislative session set to begin on April 12, 2021 (and with this year’s legislative session slated to last just slightly over two months), the Bossier Press-Tribune staff has reached out to all Bossier Parish state legislators in order to ask what their plans are for the upcoming legislative session. And, what bills do they plan to file leading up to the regular legislative session? For the next few weeks, the Bossier Press-Tribune will publish our legislators’ answers to this question, as well as their additional comments, as part of our series on the upcoming legislative session.
Following District 6 State Representative Thomas Pressly’s remarks from last week. This week we hear from District 36 Louisiana State Senator Robert Mills.
The Bossier Press-Tribune asked what his plans are for this year’s legislative session, and what bills he plans to file?
Senator Mills began his comments with, “I’m in Baton Rouge attending my third seminar in the last two weeks on the upcoming session and proposed “TAX STURCTURE REFORM” including the hot topic “Centralized Tax Collections”.
Senator Mills also said, “I’m sure I will support both of these big issues and my allies and I in the legislature are working hard to make Louisiana more attractive to our existing businesses plus those businesses making decisions to relocate from the burdensome business climates in California, New York, Illinois to the more friendly southern states. We need more jobs and people in Louisiana and today is the best day to start improving the business climate.”
As he continued, Senator Mills also wants his constituents to know: “In addition to assisting the reform bills I will file my allowed five non-fiscal bills including 1) an Insurance Department requested bill left over from the shortened 2020 session that would limit the defense costs that could be charged to an insurance policy in settlement. 2) a Retirement System bill that was requested by the Municipal Employees Retirement System relating to issues from temporary layoffs during the COVID emergency. 3) a bill in the Insurance arena that would allow companies in the highly regulated insurance markets in Louisiana to offer new and innovative products. 4) I’m working with the Secretary of State on a bill that would increase ballot security on mail in ballots and prohibit remote ballot drop boxes. 5) I’m working with the Department of Education on insuring our valuable kindergarten to third grade early childhood teachers are properly trained in the very successful methods of reading that are so critical to every aspect of educations to follow the early years.”
Senator Mills concluded by saying, “Please note that all these bills are still in drafting, subject to finalization and approval and nothing is guaranteed to be filed.”
