Redistricting Affects Taxes and Laws

In addition to drawing new state and federal district lines, state lawmakers must also amend a large number of state statutes that are tied to population. House Speaker Jim Tucker says many of the laws direct sales & hotel taxes, determine salaries paid to public officials and regulate traffic on roads & ferries. According to Tucker some laws are also complicated by population shifts. For instance, a law that applies to New Orleans may refer to a "municipality of more than 415-thousand"...but the Crescent City's head  count is now thousands lower. Tucker says it would be a much bigger task  to change the laws to reflect cities by name--instead of population.  With the population shifts of the post-Katrina/Rita years, some cities have risen above the population figures designated for them. Some have fallen below. Tucker says all applicable state statutes will be identified and amended.