The Sunshine Bridge in Donaldsville, built in 1963, is one of eight bridges in Louisiana that the NTSB identified as being at an "unknown level of risk of collapse" if struck by a vessel.
Senate Finance advances a bill that would dedicate .45% of the state sales tax that is set to expire in 2025 permanently to infrastructure. The bill would generate an estimated 350 to 380 million dollars a year for road and bridge repair and construction once it is fully phased in 2025. If passed it would be slowly phased in over three years starting in 2022.
Port Allen Senator Rick Ward made an emotional appeal to the committee, saying he doesn’t want to see any more of his family move out of state because of Louisiana’s crumbling infrastructure.
“IN the last two years I have had a cousin, a sister, and both of my two law partner’s kids who graduated from high school are now all heading out of state,” said Ward. “I’m sure as soon as they cross the state line and look around no further than the road systems and say I am not coming back.”
The bill took flak from both the left and right before passing 7-4. Baton Rouge Democratic Senator Regina Barrow was concerned dedicating that money to infrastructure could create a budget deficit.
“Certainly I believe in the importance of roads and the backlog (of construction projects) is horrible but I never want it to trump healthcare and education,” said Barrow. “
Metairie Republican Senator Cameron Henry said he’s not too keen on permanently extending a tax that was supposed to be a temporary solution to the fiscal cliff.
“If we keep this tax permanent we will have the second-highest combined state and local sales tax in the country. Number one is Tennessee but the difference between us and Tennessee is that Tennessee doesn’t have an income tax,” said Henry.
The bill heads to the Senate floor and will need two-thirds support in both chambers, something that looks increasingly unlikely after the leader of the newly formed Conservative Caucus announced 41 members have pledged to vote against it.
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