Facing resistance to another round of tax increases, Gov. John Bel Edwards says he believes lawmakers will determine Louisiana needs additional money to protect critical programs as they struggle to craft next year’s budget.
Still grappling with the state’s deep financial troubles, Edwards reached his 100th day as governor today. He’s trying to rally support for a special legislative session to begin in June, for lawmakers to raise additional taxes to bail out the budget for the financial year that begins July 1.
“I happen to believe that at the end of the day once the Legislature finishes its effort putting together a budget for next fiscal year that is short $750 million in state general fund that they are going to conclude in sufficient numbers that more revenue is necessary,” the governor says in an interview with The Associated Press.
Edwards inherited the worst budget troubles facing Louisiana in nearly three decades. He already called one special session to raise taxes and make cuts. But legislative action didn’t close all the gaps.
To deal with the remaining shortfall in next year’s budget, Edwards proposes steep reductions to the TOPS free college tuition program, safety net hospitals for the poor, K-12 public schools and college campuses.
He’s hoping lawmakers—who can’t raise taxes in the regular session that ends June 6—will gather ahead of the July 1 start of the budget year and support tax hikes to stop those cuts from happening.
“I don’t want to sound overly troubled about where we are,” the governor says. “A lot of work was done. It was just not enough.”
After raising more than $1.2 billion in taxes for next year, some Republican lawmakers, particularly in the House, are reticent about additional taxes.
House Speaker Taylor Barras, R-New Iberia, thinks another special session will be necessary. But he suggests it might take longer than June to get consensus and it will need to be coupled with spending reform.
“As we go through the appropriations process if it’s determined that we have shaved every department as much as we can shave them and they are living within what they can live with, does that give some momentum to seriously considering revenue? Possibly,” Barras says.
