State lawmakers have started filing bills for the special session to address Louisiana’s current budget crisis. Halen Doughty reports…
CUT 1 (29) “I’m Halen Doughty”
================
Governor John Bel Edwards will give a special televised address to the people of Louisiana tomorrow night. Emelie Gunn has more on what the governor will say…
===================
State lawmakers have started filing bills for the special session, and one of the first measures proposed would increase the state tax on a pack of cigarettes another 22-cents to $1.08 per pack. West Monroe Representative Frank Hoffman says this tax will generate more state revenue and could save money on healthcare if the tax encourages people to quit smoking.
Last year lawmakers increased the tax on a pack of cigarettes by 50-cents. If the proposed bill passes, the tax will go into effect on April 1. Hoffman says the state needs the additional money from the tax this year as Louisiana faces an 870-million dollar shortfall.
The special session to address the state’s budget will start Sunday, and it will last three and half weeks. Hoffman says he’ll push a higher cigarette tax, but it is still important to make cuts in the budget while increasing revenue.
============================
Louisiana’s budget problems are getting worse. The Revenue Estimating Conference has revised the deficit for this fiscal year from 750-million to 870-million dollars. The legislature’s chief economist Greg Albrecht says Louisiana’s lagging economy is impacting state tax collections
The budget deficit for next fiscal year has swelled past two billion dollars. Low oil prices are to blame for the less than anticipated revenues, but that’s not the only issue. Albrecht says corporate tax collections are also very week…
State lawmakers will meet for a special session that starts on Sunday and attempt to come up with a rebalanced budget that takes into account the 870-million dollar shortfall. The administration’s chief economist Manfred Dix says the oil industry is not the only sector of our economy that’s struggling
CUT 8 (07) “negative territory”
============================
Governor John Bel Edwards will publicly address the people of Louisiana about the state’s huge budget shortfall. The address will air Thursday night at 6:30 on television and radio stations. ULM Political Science Professor Dr. Joshua Stockley says it’s rare for a Louisiana governor to give a televised speech, but the state is facing a difficult situation….
Stockley says Governor Edwards will inform the public that we are in a severe fiscal crisis and there will be no easy solutions to fix this problem. He says the governor will tell voters difficult decisions will have to be made by the legislature….
Stockley says the governor is making an effort to restore the fiscal foundation of the state, without making major cuts to higher education and health care.
============================
Drive up ashes for people on this Ash Wednesday are becoming increasingly popular in our fast paced lives. LSU Religious Studies professor Michael Pasquier says that these mobile ash distribution sites are a response to busy lifestyles…
cut 12 (05) “the congregations”
Pasquier says some churches may have to accept that members of the congregation do not have time for the regular Ash Wednesday services.
Pasquier says, even though some people may be critical of the mobile ashing, this is something more churches are considering to cater to their members’ schedules…
============================