Lawmakers approve New Orleans hospital proposal

State lawmakers are backing spending plans for a new $1.1 billion research and teaching hospital in New Orleans to replace Charity Hospital, The Associated Press reports. Gaining this approval was the last significant hurdle stalling the hospital’s construction. With the support today of the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, construction on the public hospital is expected to begin within two weeks, according to the state’s construction project manager. The facility has been on the drawing board for six years, and lawmakers have disagreed about its size and scope. Gov. Bobby Jindal supports the latest construction plan for the 424-bed public hospital that won’t require state-backed borrowing. It includes a mix of already earmarked state financing, federal hurricane recovery funds and third-party dollars.