Two New Orleans area lawmakers are asking Gov. Bobby Jindal to strip $3.5 million out of next year’s budget, involving the Crescent City Connection bridge that spans the Mississippi River. Rep. Pat Connick, a Marrero Republican, sent the veto request to the governor in a letter released today. Sen. David Heitmeier, D-New Orleans, says he also sent a request for a veto to Jindal. Connick says the money wasn’t vetted through the House budget process and was added by senators without input from local lawmakers. The dollars come from the tolls that drivers pay to cross the bridge and would pay for a consultant to help prepare for the tolls’ expiration at the end of 2012. Connick says the spending should come from the state transportation department’s budget. Heitmeier says the appropriation may be an illegal use of toll dollars, since state law specifies how the money should be spent. Jindal’s office didn’t immediately respond today about whether the governor would line-item veto the money as Connick requests.
This story has been updated since it was first published.
