Deal reached: Louisiana’s lawmakers reached a compromise Sunday on a $26 billion state operating budget for next year that makes widespread cuts to close a $600 million shortfall. The Associated Press reports the budget deal for the financial year that begins July 1 won final passage with a 63-38 House vote and a 35-2 Senate vote, ahead of today’s session-ending deadline. But the spending plan is only a first draft. Gov. John Bel Edwards is calling lawmakers into an 18-day special session this evening to consider tax hikes to lessen the cuts. The spending plan looks largely similar to the budget drafted by the Senate, with minor adjustments to pay for a few specific items sought by the House, including programs to combat truancy, aid organ donations and help people with disabilities gain access to specialized technology. The TOPS college tuition program would be funded at 48% of what is needed to fully cover eligible students. Safety-net hospitals that care for the poor and uninsured also face cuts. Read the full story.
Paying more: Gasoline costs surged to their highest levels since early September with Tropical Storm Colin expected to impact Florida today and a major refinery outage impacting supplies in the Midwest. Fuelfix.com reports that nationally the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline increased 4 cents per gallon in the last week up to $2.36, which still stands 40 cents less than the same time last year. The biggest regional pricing hike came in the Midwest after an unplanned refinery outage at Marathon Petroleum’s facility in Detroit. Gregg Laskoski, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy, notes other supply mishaps, such as train derailment outside of Portland, Oregon, carrying crude oil, as well as a diesel spill in Michigan.
Capped: Louisiana lawmakers have agreed to place new restrictions on a 17-year-old program that requires state agencies to spend a portion of their construction dollars on public art. The Associated Press reports that under the Percent for Art Program created in 1999, state agencies are required to spend 1% of their state financing for construction or renovation projects on public art. But the proposal by Rep. Bob Hensgens, R-Abbeville, would cap that spending at $450,000. Public college campuses would give preference to artworks created by students and faculty in art programs. The bill was sent to the governor’s desk Sunday with a 98-0 House vote and a 37-0 Senate vote. The measure wouldn’t help bail out the state operating budget. The art dollars come from the state construction budget.
