President Barack Obama said in Baton Rouge Thursday, the fact that Louisiana voters chose Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards proves elections do matter. Mr. Obama said the people of Louisiana have spoken and Edwards has already proven he will be a leader that isn’t afraid to make big decisions…

cut 13 (09) “not going to be easy”

Edwards is dealing with a $700 million dollar shortfall he has to close in the remaining 6 months of the current budget year.

State Treasurer John Kennedy reports the December 2015 Net Receipts Report shows total state revenue is down 15-percent from the same time last year. The report shows a drop in sales taxes, severance taxes, and corporation taxes. Kennedy offers a simple explanation…

cut 4 (06) “right now”

He attributes much of the decline in revenue to the price of crude oil.

People in Louisiana want to see a range of issues addressed in a special session, according to an LSU poll. Governor John Bel Edwards has said he’ll call the legislature into a special session in February to address the state’s budgetary challenges. Public Policy Research Lab Director Michael Henderson says their survey found 66% of respondents want to see a broad range of matters addressed in the special session such as education, jobs, and health care. He says the findings are surprising.

cut 10 (10) “those issues”

Henderson says there isn’t exactly a good fit between what the public wants and what the state needs to address.