‘Fiscal hawk’ hopes budget reform proposals boost legislative independence

A package of budget reform proposals from a coalition of conservative House Republicans commonly known as the “fiscal hawks” is meant to clarify the constitutional provisions related to nonrecurring revenue, make the process more transparent, and make it easier to prioritize spending, says Rep. Brett Geymann, R-Lake Charles. But one side effect of the measures, he hopes, will be to encourage legislators to assert more control over the budget’s creation. “I think it definitely gives us a clearer path toward legislative independence,” he says. “Right now, we just get this budget that comes to us, and we really don’t understand what’s in it, and we have to hurry up and pass it, and all we know is, ‘My university got cut again.’ ” One provision would require that, when there’s a need for budget cuts, discretionary and non-discretionary dollars be divided into separate bills. The proposal, which would require a constitutional amendment, could “give legislators a little more power relative to the governor, in that they have clearer markers on which to make decisions,” says LSU Shreveport political scientist Jeffrey Sadow, who adds that the proposal also could create opportunities for political grandstanding. —David Jacobs