With dollars in scarce supply, people packed the House budget committee on Tuesday in a gloomy competition for state financing from a panel where many Republicans say Louisiana needs to pare back its spending.
With tearful stories, members of the general public sought boosted financing for health programs for the elderly and disabled, The Associated Press reports. They also asked for more dollars for rural hospitals and requested increased staffing at state facilities to care people with disabilities and mental health problems.
The state’s operating budget for the year beginning July 1 is nearly $29 billion. But with less dollars to spend, House Republican leaders have been resistant to the tax hikes proposed by Gov. John Bel Edwards so it’s unclear how much success the requests will have.
Families in yellow shirts bearing the words “We’ve Waited Long Enough!” asked for dollars to help parents waiting for home- and community-based services for children with disabilities.
Bryan and Cindy Kutz, who live in Zachary, received six months of state assistance that helped give them a few hours of “respite care” from the constant monitoring of their 15-year-old son Blaine, only to see the help yanked away amid budget constraints.
“So, we have nothing,” Cindy Kutz told the committee.
Kutz’s son has Alfi’s syndrome, a rare chromosomal disorder that causes both mental and physical impairments. Cindy Kutz described her son having “meltdowns” in which he runs into windows, doors and walls—and doesn’t feel the pain of the tantrums.
The parents asked for more dollars for local human services districts that provide the services they had and lost.
