Three groups are begging the Louisiana Legislature not to repeat the inaction of this year’s first special session as lawmakers wrestle with whether to end the regular session early to tackle budget issues again in a second special session.
Council for a Better Louisiana, Blueprint Louisiana and The Committee of 100 published an open letter to the Legislature today urging them to hold another special session to close the state’s $648 million budget gap.
“We do not understand the inability to devise a more permanent solution to what has become an ongoing and persistent problem or to establish a vision or set of priorities for our state,” the letter reads.
The groups specifically outline five concerns with the Legislature’s inability to agree on long-term fiscal solution. Among them: a lack of bipartisan cooperation, failure to use problem-solving recommendations, a need for trust amongst legislators and fear the state’s instability will stunt its economic growth.
The groups say the results of the first special session, where no substantive bills were passed, paired with the Legislature’s current standing are “beyond disappointing.” The letter urges lawmakers to cross party lines, writing that “like the rest of us, you must find a way to work together.”
