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Senate Governmental Affairs committee reports several bills to the Senate floor, including $100 supplement for poll commissioners
Summary
The committee on May 6 reported multiple bills favorably to the Senate floor by voice consent, including HB205 (allows local authorities to add up to $100/day to poll commissioners' pay), HB210 (clarifies retroactive application of ethics changes for school board employees), HB228 (recreates State Civil Service until 2033) and local-audit and records bills; sponsors said the changes will aid recruitment, reduce audit costs and clarify timelines.
The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee on May 6 reported a package of bills to the Senate floor by voice consent, including measures aimed at election administration, civil‑service sunsets, and local auditing thresholds.
House Bill 205, carried to the floor after committee discussion, authorizes local governing authorities to supplement election commissioners’ pay by up to $100 per day. Presenters and clerk officials told the committee that poll commissioners have not seen meaningful pay increases in nearly 20 years, face 14–16 hour election-day shifts and that low pay deters attendance at mandatory training. Richard Hanna, Ascension Parish Clerk of Court, told senators: “So, it’s not compensating them for the trainings. It’s just giving them more money on election day, but we’re hoping that with giving them more money… it’ll help that they’ll come to the trainings.” The bill’s initial fiscal note estimated roughly $3.6 million for a shortened window (about $7 million annually), but sponsors said amendments narrowed the state’s exposure by making supplements a local option.
Catherine Newsome, first assistant secretary of state, testified in support on behalf of Secretary Nancy Landry and said the office favors the bill to help recruit poll workers and encourage training: “We just really appreciate it and ask for your support of this bill.”
Other committee actions included reporting HB210 (a cleanup clarifying the retroactive application of Act 492 of the 2024 regular session to unresolved ethics cases involving school board employees) and HB228 (re‑creating the Department of State Civil Service and its statutory entities from July 1, 2027 to July 2, 2033). Representative Replicon presented an amended HB1045 raising audit thresholds that will apply only to Pointe Coupee Parish — sponsors said consolidation of local districts triggered audits and the change will save the parish money.
All listed bills were reported to the Senate floor by voice consent with motions recorded in the hearing; no roll-call votes were taken in committee.
