Lawmakers and the administration know a lot more right now about the budget and the financial impact brought about by COVID-19 than they did a week ago. But that doesn’t mean the House and Senate and Gov. John Bel Edwards are any closer to an agreement on how to manage the state’s recovery, writes Jeremy Alford in his new opinion piece.
This past Monday (May 12) was a significant news day at the Capitol, with Edwards announcing that his stay-at-home order would end Friday to usher in phase one of the reopening process. In the House, conservatives were working on a petition to overturn Edwards’ executive order as a committee advanced a separate resolution to prohibit the governor from enforcing the declaration.
The Revenue Estimating Conference, which determines how much money the state has to spend, also established that the state is facing a $1 billion budget hole in the fiscal year that begins July 1. That budget was supposed to be passed into law before the ongoing regular session adjourns June 1, and the governor is urging lawmakers to stay within those parameters.
Yet, while Edwards said there’s nothing to be gained by waiting, legislative leaders argue that potential policy changes on the federal level may delay some deliberations until a summertime special session.
Read Alford’s full column for more detail about the ongoing disagreements at the Capitol.
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter, or on Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
