What AIA has done to date.

   *  Working with AIA’s coalition partners we have lobbied all House and Senate members on key committees to include the Historic Tax Credit (HTC), 179D, and pass-through provisions within the tax reform bills.

   *  AIA National has worked in conjunction with state chapters and the National Trust for Historic Preservation on the push to retain the HTC in the final tax reform bill.

   *  We have sent two action alerts to AIA members asking them to email their Members of Congress.

Current state of play and status of the HTC, 179D, and S Corp tax reform provisions

House:

    *  The HTC is completely repealed in the House’s tax reform bill

    *  The 179D energy efficiency tax incentive is completely omitted from House’s tax reform bill, with not much interest from House members to reinstate it.

    *  The House bill creates a new 25% rate for pass-through entities, but certain services including architecture are excluded from that rate and would continue to pay the full individual rates.

Senate:

    *  The HTC is severely curtailed in the Senate’s tax reform bill, with the 10% credit being eliminated and the 20% credit spread over 5 years.

    *  The 179D energy efficiency tax incentive is completely omitted from the Senate’s tax reform bill, , but could be included in a possible separate year-end tax package.

    *  The Senate bill creates a new 17.4% deduction for pass-throughs, but excludes certain services including architecture from being able to use the deduction.

   *  Evolving Legislative Climate:

    *  Since the conclusion of our conference call just yesterday, legislative maneuvering is already changing the tax reform debate on Capitol Hill. To see an update provided by the Washington Post click here.

Click here for a list of U.S. Senators with their web contact information in an excel spreadsheet.

Efforts to roll back similar tax credits in a handful of states have run into opposition from preservation advocates, small town mayors, commercial developers and builders, all of whom depend on the credits to fund the reconstruction and revitalization of historic downtowns and rural buildings — and argue the credits more than cover their costs by generating jobs and tax revenue.

Gov. John Bel Edwards is preparing to rescind an executive order aimed at spurring rebuilding after the August 2016 floods but also had the effect of delaying construction around the state - about $700 million worth of projects in New Orleans alone.

Read Full Article Here

General elections were held on November 18th in Louisiana and very few surprises emerged—unless you consider turnout to be embarrassingly low (early reports suggested turnout hovered around 12.5 percent). Following is a quick overview of the results. 

Treasurer

The only statewide item on the ballot was the race for state Treasurer. As you recall, John Kennedy, R-Madisonville, vacated this post a year ago when he was elected to the U.S. Senate. After the dust settled Saturday night, former state Rep. John Schroder, R-Covington, picked up 56 percent of the vote on his way to defeat attorney Derrick Edwards, D-New Orleans. Schroder is widely expected to manage the Treasurer’s office in a mold similar to that which Kennedy developed over the years—namely, he’s likely to be a vocal public critic of Gov. John Bel Edwards’s administration’s spending habits. The state Treasurer serves as the chair of the State Bond Commission and has several other financial duties. 

Legislature 

Over on the north shore, businessman and political newcomer Mark Wright, R-Covington, defeated perennial candidate Col. Rob Maness, R-Madisonville, after picking up 58 percent of the vote. Both candidates had crossover appeal from both wings of the Republican Party. Wright had a good bit of support from the business community along the way. Col. Maness had his fair share of business support as well although much of his base stemmed more from the Tea Party, social issues faithful. Maness has run for U.S. Senate twice and now for the state legislature. Many wonder if he’ll now retire from running for office. 

NOLA Mayor

City Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell, D-New Orleans, garnered 60 percent of the vote to defeat former municipal judge Desiree Charbonnet, D-New Orleans. The race to replace term-limited Mayor Mitch Landrieu, D-New Orleans, became historic as two African American females made the runoff. Cantrell becomes the first female mayor in the history of New Orleans.