Welcome to TimBurns.com

Welcome to the site of Rep. Tim Burns, a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.  It is my pleasure to serve the public and I want to hear your concerns.

Citizen advocacy is one of the most important parts of representative democracy and it is important that your voice be heard!

Proposed Constitutional Amendments

Amendment  No. 1  Funding TOPS and Sustaining Cigarette Tax Revenue- Proposes to rededicate tobacco settlement funds in excess of $1.38 billion to the TOPS fund.  Also, 4 cents of the 36-cent cigarette tax that expires in 2012 will be continued under the constitutional amendment and this estimated $12 million in continued revenue will be dedicated to health care. qYes  A voteFOR would (1) dedicate a new funding source for TOPS by redirecting annual tobacco tax settlement proceeds from the Millennium Trust to the college scholarship (TOPS) fund and (2) place a portion (4 cents) of the cigarette tax permanently in the constitution.  qNo  A vote AGAINST would (1) leave unchanged the type of financing sources available for TOPS and (2) allow a current four cent per pack cigarette tax to expire.  

Amendment No. 2  Reducing the Financial Liability of State Retirement Systems – Requires that at least 5% of any money designated as “nonrecurring revenue” in Fiscal year 2013-2015 be used to pay down the unfunded accrued liability (UAL) of the Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System and the Teachers’ Retirement System. Thereafter, the amount increases to 10%. 
Yes A vote FOR would require the Legislature to designate certain percentages (5%/10%) of the states nonrecurring revenue to reduce the long-term financial shortfall of the state employee (LASERS) and teacher (TRSL) retirement systems. 
No A voteAGAINST would still allow the legislature to appropriate nonrecurring revenue to retiring the unfunded accrued liability of public retirement systems but would not require such.  

Amendment  No. 3  Protecting the Patient’s Compensation Fund-Seeks to protect the Patient Compensation Fund, which fund is used to pay medical malpractice claims, from being used by the state or otherwise appropriated for any purpose other than paying medical malpractice claims. 
Yes  A vote FORwould protect The Patient's Compensation Fund from legislative appropriation by establishing it in the Constitution to only be used for the benefit of medical malpractice claimants and qualified healthcare providers. 
No  A vote AGAINST would retain the existing statutory definition of the Patient's Compensation Fund which could subject the fund to appropriation by the legislature for other budgeting purposes. 

Amendment No. 4  Managing the Budget Stabilization “Rainy Day” Fund –Allows up to 5 years to repay money borrowed from the “rainy day fund.” This amendment would provide that mineral revenues do not have to be deposited into the fund, to replace the monies used from the fund, in the same and ensuing fiscal year but deposits would resume in the 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th year at which time the fund would be fully repaid or until the fund reaches its statutory cap. 
Yes A vote FOR would provide that if money is withdrawn from the Budget Stabilization Fund, the state must begin to replenish the fund during the third year after the money was withdrawn, paying back the withdrawn amount in thirds each year until fully repaid or until the fund reaches its statutory cap. 
No  A vote AGAINSTwould leave the state to deal with its current statute, which prohibits money taken from the Budget Stabilization Fund from being replenished the same fiscal year that it was withdrawn or the following fiscal year.  

Amendment  No. 5 Updating the Census Change in a New Orleans Tax Sales Law-The constitution requires that property being sold at a tax sale must sell for the minimum needed to cover the taxes owed. But in a city with 400,000+ in population, if the property fails to sell for the minimum, the city may re-offer the property with no minimum bid. This amendment would retain the minimum bid exception in New Orleans which is now below 400,000 in population. 
Yes A voteFOR would identify the city of New Orleans by name rather than by reference to its outdated 2000 census population in a section of the Constitution regarding auctions of tax delinquent properties 
No  A vote AGAINST would leave the outdated census population reference in the Constitution with result that New Orleans would not maintain an existing exemption from the minimum bid requirements for property tax sales.

St. TammanyParishwide Proposition (Disabled Veterans Homestead Exemption) Authorizes an additional Homestead exemption in the parish of St. Tammany, state of Louisiana, for certain disabled veterans and surviving spouses in accordance with the Louisiana Constitution. 
Yes
No

City of Mandeville Propositions:  Police Millage Renewals  (Note: To be voted on only by those areas within the city of Mandeville. Also, the reworking of the language for the 1959 sales tax to clarify and allow redistribution of revenue will be on the November 19th ballot) Proposition 1. 10 year, 5.8 mills property tax renewal for providing funds for operating and maintaining the police department, including payments of salaries and benefits for the police personnel. 
Yes
No

Proposition 2.  10 year, 3.38 mills property tax renewal for providing funds for operating and maintaining the police department, including payments of salaries and benefits for the police personnel. 
Yes
No

If you would like a personlized ballot, please click here to visit the Secretary of States Website.