Louisiana residents would prefer a broad agenda for a legislative special session in February, according to an LSU survey, which Gannett Louisiana reports likely means they’ll be disappointed in the results.
Sixty-six percent of those surveyed by the Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs said they prefer a session in which lawmakers could take up issues like education, jobs and health care, the top three concerns mentioned.
But those expectations are unrealistic considering the three-week session will be focused on making structural changes to the state budget as new Gov. John Bel Edwards and lawmakers face a $1.9 billion budget hole next year.
“It’s compelling, but puzzling,” says Michael Henderson, research director of the Public Policy Research Lab. “It can be interpreted in two ways. One way is the public has a sophisticated understanding of the connection to the budget and issues like education and health care. But if you wanted to be more skeptical the public doesn’t really understand what the special session is designed to do. I think it’s probably the latter.”
The budget and taxes were the fourth and fifth most mentioned items by those surveyed. Edwards hasn’t issued the specific call for the session, but he plans for it to begin Feb. 15.
“We must address the issues that have created a structural budget deficit for our state,” he said earlier this week.
The center conducted the survey before last fall’s election, but just released the results this week.
“I think it shows that the governor and Legislature can’t look to the public for leadership of this specific issue,” Henderson says. “The governor and Legislature are going to have to do the work and come back and explain it to the voters.”
