—BIG NEWS: FIRM SELECTED FOR DOTD OVERHAUL: As first reported in LaPolitics Weekly last month, the Louisiana Coalition to Fix Our Roads is leading a privately-funded assessment of DOTD, and the outfit of contractors will announce this morning it has hired the Boston Consulting Group to steer the ship. Gov. Jeff Landry asked for the assessment of the Department of Transportation and Development, and recommendations are expected before the end of the year . “For as long as anyone can remember, we have been talking about the issues that stop us from having a good transportation system in Louisiana,” said LCFOR President Erich Ponti. “Governor Landry is determined to stop the talking and start fixing Louisiana’s transportation infrastructure. LCFOR is answering his call and is excited to be working with BCG to get this done.” BCG is an international strategic management consulting firm with “specific expertise in reforming state departments of transportation.”

—IT’S OVER: Lawmakers gave final passage to most of the major spending bills on Sunday, a day early. Legislators voted for stipends for teachers and a cut to early childhood education, while diverting more than $700 million that would have been deposited in the Revenue Stabilization Fund for one-time expenses such as road improvements, water infrastructure and criminal justice needs spurred by legislation approved in the crime special session. 

—NOT SO FAST: Despite high hopes during the session’s final weeks for an early finish, lawmakers didn’t sine die until minutes before the 6 p.m. deadline. HB 781, the judiciary funding bill, was approved in the final hour after amendments clarified that judges would get a pay stipend, rather than a permanent raise, and only after a judicial workload study has been completed. 

—FINISHING TOUCHES: Lawmakers on Monday approved last-minute changes to HB 767 to ban out-of-state residents from seeking public records from the governor’s office. They also passed HB 952, which creates for one year a regulatory framework for hemp THC products; expect to hear more about that subject next year. HB 906, which raises the contribution limits for candidates and PACs, also was sent to the governor’s desk.

—CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS: Legislators on Monday again took up SB 181, which would have given the governor more control over the Civil Service Commission, but the result was the same and the measure failed to get the needed two-thirds vote in the House. HB 300, SB 119 and SB 177 all passed and will go to the voters. Those instruments will join HBs 48 and 49 on ballots this fall; you can read more about those measures in LaPolitics Weekly. 

—NEXT STEPS: Gov. Jeff Landry’s efforts to reshape state government administration has emerged as an offseason topic to watch. Changes at the Department of Energy and Natural Resources, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, the Department of Transportation and Development and Louisiana Economic Development all are underway or at least being discussed, as LaPolitics has reported.

—MFP DIES IN SENATE: The instrument to create a new state funding formula for K-12 education never got a hearing in the Senate, which means the previous formula stays in effect. 

—REGISTRATION NUMBERS: Democrats lost 1,783 registered voters during May, while Republicans gained 903 and 1,253 people registered without joining one of the two major parties, leaving the Democrats with a 110,892-voter plurality, pollster and consultant John Couvillon reports. The latest numbers were released Saturday. A recent LaPolitics analysis found that Republicans are likely to have a registration plurality in two to four years, based on current trends. 

—LATEST PODCAST: Alfred “Butch” Speer, a member of the state Ethics Board and the former clerk of the House of Representatives, has survived constitutional conventions and more than one round of redistricting. He’s also forgotten more about regular sessions than most of us will ever learn, which made him a perfect guest for the LaPolitics Report podcast. (Spotify/Apple) Recorded in February 2015, this episode features a terrific overview of how Speer landed one of the Legislature’s most high-profile gigs. Also in this episode are a set of practical tips for mastering the House process. Plus, this episode kicks off with a job description for “Being Louisiana Governor,” delivered by late Gov. Edwin Edwards.