The Good News About the Worst of the Worst

The 2016 regular session is over, and before we lament the inevitable, budget-cutting special session that is sure to follow, let us rejoice. The worst of this year’s anti-taxpayer, freedom-hostile bills did not pass.

* Each of the minimum-wage increases (HB 125, HB 154, HB 323, SB 236, and SJR 18) died.

* All three gasoline-tax-hiking bills (SB 251, SB 284, SJR 22) crumbled.

* SJR 2 and SJR 3, attempts to tap the Land Grant Permanent Fund for “early childhood education services,” fizzled.

* All three tobacco- and vaping-tax hikes (HB 300, SB 4, SB 77) failed.

* Rep. Miguel Garcia’s bill to extend “public financing” to legislative candidates was ignored.

* The “Gender Pay Equity Tax Credit,” sponsored by Rep. Nate Gentry and Sen. Mimi Stewart, went nowhere.

Sometimes, failure is success.