Rep. Barbara Norton on Nixing Hotel Tax — ‘I Was Doing It for the Little People’ [AUDIO]

Rep. Barbara Norton made news when she spearheaded a group that killed a bill in Baton Rouge that proposed a 1.5 percent tax increase in our local Hotel/Motel tax which funds the Advocare V100 Bowl. Barbara Norton joined The Tim Fletcher Show on Monday morning to defend her position.

With the bill being tossed out of the window, a dark cloud now looms over the future of the Advocare Bowl. The bill enabled those involved with the Advocare Bowl to grab top tier teams from larger conferences to play here in December.

"I believe as a legislature, we have to make sure that we not forget about the little people. When I think about [Rep. Henry Burns' bill] there was nothing in that bill that will give an increase to those persons working at the hotel, making small minimum wages, there was nothing in there for [those working at local hotels]," Norton told the show. "There was nothing in there for a package for them. And, when I think about increasing a tax, and it's not going to help those people at the bottom, I think it's unfair."

Norton continued: "I asked [Rep. Burns], to let's send the bill back for a week or so and let all of us come together to see what we could come up with, that would be a win-win for everybody. He [Rep. Burns] made the statement, 'that's not what he wanted to do.' I don't see increasing a tax, in that time, is not going to help those minimum wage people."

When asked about the economic opportunities the bill would bring in to help minimum wage workers, Rep. Norton said, "We're talking about one event coming in, these people have to live everyday. These people have to put food on the table for their families, they have to have a roof over their head. And, I think to increase a tax and not have them, the little people, in there, anywhere, in any form or fashion that's not the way that I see it. I think we have a responsibility to take of those not only on minimum wages, but to take care of those on minimum wages."

To hear the rest of the interview with Rep. Barbara Norton, listen here: