Louisiana’s income forecasting battles are continuing into Gov. John Bel Edwards’ next four-year term.
House budget committee chairman Cameron Henry, a Republican who clashed with the governor during Edwards’ first term, refused Thursday to boost the state’s revenue projections as sought by the Edwards administration.
Henry cites concerns about the threat of a national recession, arguments with the treasurer’s office over a fund transfer and upcoming changes in legislative leadership as reasons to delay any adoption of a new income forecast.
“Uncertainties continue to grow,” says Henry, who will move to the Senate when the new term begins in January.
The three other members of the Revenue Estimating Conference—Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne, Senate President John Alario and independent economist Stephen Barnes—sought to increase this year’s forecast by $170 million and next year’s by $103 million.
But decisions by the conference require a unanimous vote of all four members, so Henry’s refusal to back the changes kept them from adoption. Henry was sitting on the panel Thursday for Republican House Speaker Taylor Barras.
The House leaders’ decision against a new forecast keeps Edwards from having more money to spend in the 2020-21 budget proposal he’ll offer to lawmakers in February, leaving the governor to work from lower numbers adopted in April. The stymieing of the forecast changes also creates procedural difficulties in how the budget process develops in the Legislature.
Barras and Henry blocked forecast changes at a similar time last year, delaying a boosted forecast for several months. Read the full story from the Associated Press.
