Lawsuit filed challenging Jindal budgeting tactics

Two Jefferson Parish lawmakers lodged a legal challenge today against the state’s $25 billion budget, asking a judge to declare its patchwork financing a violation of the Louisiana Constitution. Republican Reps. Kirk Talbot and Cameron Henry filed the lawsuit, which is the latest salvo in an ongoing dispute that conservative House Republicans have with Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal over his use of one-time funding to pay for ongoing programs and services in state government. Talbot says he hopes to get a ruling on the lawsuit before next year’s 2013-14 budget is passed and the new fiscal year starts July 1. He says the lawsuit is being financed through campaign dollars and with assistance from politically active Baton Rouge businessman Lane Grigsby. The lawsuit says the budget is unconstitutional because it spends $240 million more from the state general fund than the amount recognized by the state’s income-forecasting panel and because it doesn’t follow constitutional limits on spending money deemed “nonrecurring.” Named as defendants were the state, Attorney General Buddy Caldwell and Treasurer John Kennedy. The lawsuit was filed in state district court in Baton Rouge. Jindal issued a statement defending the budget as constitutional, noting it was approved by the Legislature and saying it “doesn’t spend more money than the state takes in.” Kennedy says the lawsuit will help clear up issues that have divided lawmakers repeatedly during budget debates.