Plans to spend $783 million in state surplus cash on road work, hurricane protection, a new deal with the New Orleans Saints and legislative pet projects received quick passage today from a House committee.
Before approving the measure without objection, the House Appropriations Committee added $30 million in surplus spending with little discussion of the new projects, which included money for the Bayou Segnette Festival Park in Jefferson Parish, the Audubon Park Commission and the Lafayette Regional Airport.
The surplus spending is included in a measure that outlines a multiyear, $5 billion list of state construction projects called the “capital outlay” bill.
Lawmakers presenting the bill didn’t explain it contained plans for spending the state’s 2007-08 surplus dollars until questioned by Rep. Karen Carter Peterson, D-New Orleans.
The bill moves next to the full House for debate.
The state has an $865 million surplus, which by constitutional mandate can only be spent on one-time items like debt payments and construction projects. A slice must go into the state’s “rainy day” fund, leaving $798 million for spending. The plans for those dollars include $300 million for coastal restoration and hurricane protection projects, $246 million for road and bridge work, $98 million for college construction, $24 million for port projects and $7.5 million for state emergency sheltering.
