Gov. John Bel Edwards today signed Louisiana’s more than $28 billion operating budget into law ahead of the Saturday start of the new financial year.
But before putting pen to paper, Edwards stripped legislative add-ons that would have limited government agencies’ authority for how to trim spending, The Associated Press reports.
The Democratic governor struck four items with his line-item veto, according to his veto letter released today, including language that would have protected certain health services from budget cuts and that would have prohibited the Civil Service Commission from blocking pay raises at Louisiana’s levee districts.
Edwards says the provisions could have interfered with a new set of pay scale changes for state employees and would impede the health department’s ability to manage its own budget.
The budget was adopted by lawmakers in a weeklong special session earlier this month after Edwards, the House and the Senate failed to reach a compromise in the regular legislative session.
Edwards backed the final version, which was largely written by senators.
See what’s in and what’s left out of Louisiana’s operating budget.
