Four state senators and five House members from Southwest Louisiana joined their colleagues in voting against holding a Tuesday veto session of the Legislature.

Two-thirds of the Senate voted to cancel the session — more than was needed. A majority vote in either chamber is all it takes to kill a veto session.

Only 38 House members wanted to call off the session, and that would have been enough to hold one if the Senate hadn’t nixed the idea.

Sens. Ronnie Johns, R-Sulphur; Eric LaFleur, D-Ville Platte; Dan “Blade” Morrish, R-Jennings; and John Smith, R-Leesville, voted against holding the session. Voting against in the House were Reps. Mike Danahay, D-Sulphur; Johnny Guinn, R-Jennings; Bob Hensgens, R-Abbeville; Frank Howard, R-Many; and House Speaker Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles.

Supporters of the session included Reps. James Armes, D-Leesville; A.B. Franklin, D-Lake Charles; Brett Geymann, R-Moss Bluff; and Dorothy Sue Hill, D-Dry Creek.

Kleckley said in a news release, “Clearly we still have unmet needs created by the vetoes. So, I will continue to work with members of the House, Senate and the administration, as well as the state Department of Health and Hospitals and many advocacy groups working on behalf of those with developmental disabilities.

“It’s important that we work during this interim to find permanent solutions for these citizens who greatly need our help.”

Senate President John Alario, R-Westwego, said he didn’t believe legislators would have the two-thirds vote required and that a session would be a waste of taxpayer money.

Gov. Bobby Jindal vetoed a $30-per-month cost-of-living adjustment for 130,000 retirees, along with legislation putting spending controls on the popular TOPS scholarship program.

The Retired State Employees Association campaigned for a veto session.

Johns echoed many legislators who voted against a veto session. He said granting the retiree COLA would have circumvented the intent of Act 399 of 2014 and harmed the state’s bond rating. The 2014 law began a process to rein in the escalating retirement debt, which is close to $20 billion, he said.

“Act 399 provided for a COLA every other year until a system gets to at least 80 percent funding,” Johns said in answer to some of his constituents.

“My obligation, not only to retirees but to every taxpayer, is to ensure that every retirement system in the state is stable and fiscally sound. That was the reason for Act 399 from last year and, hopefully, its provisions will allow for larger COLAs in years to come. That surely is my goal.

He pledged to vote in 2016 for a COLA “that will be in agreement with the reforms that we have made.”

Johns said Jindal and state Treasurer John Kennedy, “who never agree on much,” agreed that the governor’s veto was the right thing to do to protect the state’s bond rating.

(Associated Press)