Like the general appropriations bill last week, the state’s construction budget bill left committee without any amendments added by members. It’s the first time in memory at the Capitol that members were not able to add projects to HB1 or HB2. Traditionally, those additions have been bargaining chips for the governor to keep the Legislature compliant. The lack thereof was cited as a reason why Gov. Bobby Jindal was unable to win a supermajority of the House for the college merger bill, the centerpiece of his legislative agenda.
—How to fill the $77 million hole that opened up last week in the current budget remains one of the biggest questions hanging over the fiscally stressed session. Appropriations Chairman Jim Fannin, D-Jonesboro, says he is waiting to hear what the administration wants to do. In the meantime, he says, “I have my own amendments.” The simplest fix is to use a portion of the $118 million in unspent funds for this year that were being pushed into next year’s budget. But that would only dig a deeper hole for next year and aggravate the strained relations between House leaders and the governor over balancing the spending plan.
(John Maginnis will publish a daily update on the legislative session at 3 p.m., available to LaPolitics Weekly subscribers on the Subscribers Only page at LaPolitics.com. You can register your user name and password on the Lapolitics home page.)
